Devil Released
by Lil Kazama Girly
Summary: The sequel to Devil Within. Jin Kazama has been causing worldwide chaos, but for what purpose? Both Ling Xiaoyu and Lei-Fang still believe in Jin's inherent goodness. Will the two ladies succeed in bringing him back to the side of good or is Jin too far gone? Based on Tekken 6.
1. Chapter 1

Devil Released

AN: Hey there, everyone! It's FINALLY here! Thank you so much for your patience. For those that have been looking forward to the sequel of Devil Within, I hope this is everything that you've been waiting for. To everyone else: welcome, and thanks for giving my story a shot. Just to let you all know, this story is complete. If there's enough interest, I'll post the rest. Now without further ado, I officially present Devil Released. Don't forget to leave a review! Enjoy!

After the initial shock of finding out that her husband, Jin Kazama, was the mastermind behind the world's major disasters, Lei-Fang resolved to put an end to his evil doing and bring him back to his senses. With the announcement of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, she finally found the opening that she needed to get close to him. Although she didn't personally receive an invitation to the tournament, her sister, Ling Xiaoyu, did and she would use it to her advantage. She would find a way to get close to the elusive young leader and give him a piece of her mind.

Lei-Fang sighed and shook her head as she lined her suitcases by the front door. Not long ago, she had just returned from Yakushima where she had spent several weeks chasing after Jin, trying to remind him of his humanity. It seemed like he was responding and on his way to recovery until he suddenly pushed her away and took off again, basically forcing her to return home empty handed.

Those first couple days of being home without him were more than difficult. Lei-Fang had to face the painful truth of her husband's absence every time she went to bed at night and was even greeted with it when she looked at their son, Toshiro. The baby's eyes smoldered with Jin's essence and it pained her to see it. Lei-Fang feared that little Toshiro would grow up and continue down the same cursed path, just like his father. She knew that it had to stop now; Jin had once shared this same sentiment with her, but somewhere along the way, he had become deluded and lost his way. Because of this, Lei-Fang took it upon herself to set things right, no matter what the cost.

It wasn't long before the two Chinese women arrived to the city. Ling Xiaoyu and Lei-Fang exited the airplane with a sense of duty and purpose: the two girls had joined forces to try and put a stop to the tyranny that the Mishima Zaibatsu leader, Jin Kazama, had begun. Xiaoyu would have the advantage because she actually had an invitation to the tournament. Hopefully she would be able to fight her way to the top and face off with Jin. Otherwise, Lei-Fang would be present to find another way to Jin. The girls made sure that they would cover all the bases because they refused to leave empty handed.

"We have one day to get acquainted with our surroundings before the tournament begins," Xiaoyu informed her sister, "I will try my best to help you get close to Jin, but once the tournament starts I can't guarantee that I will always be around. Luckily, you will have Panda to keep you company once we go pick her up."

Panda was arriving at a later time and would meet the girls to act as their escort and bodyguard, especially during these trying times. As always, her loyalty to Xiaoyu proved unfathomable and she offered her services to the ladies to make sure that they will be alright.

Lei-Fang nodded, "That's fine, Xiaoyu, but I'm not helpless. I can take care of myself too. Plus, with Panda entering the tournament alongside you, we have twice the chance of winning it. You should focus on doing well in the tournament so you can get a chance to meet Jin personally and find out what all this is about. I will worry about getting to him in other ways."

The girls soon approached the carousel and waited for their luggage to circle around. Once they spotted their suitcases, they pulled them off the conveyor belt and hauled them outside to a waiting cab and were taken to the hotel where all the other contestants would be staying.

Meanwhile, two figures stood side by side on the dock, one male and the other female. The blonde woman ran a hand through her hair and turned to look at the tall Japanese man next to her, "You seem to have a handle on things. So what exactly do you plan to do?"

Jin Kazama stood silently, his stare drifting past the moving boats on the dock. "This is neither the time nor the place for that kind of conversation," he simply replied, "For now all you need to know is that everything is going according to plan."

Nina Williams scoffed. This was the man she had once been charged to assassinate back in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3; she never would have imagined becoming his personal bodyguard. "So where do we go next? Kazuya is watching our every move. We must be careful about whatever we do." she warned the young leader.

"Let him watch," Jin answered stoically, never meeting her eye, "We will just have to put on a good show."

Before she could say anything else, Jin had already turned his back, the train of his trench coat flapping behind him as he approached one of the motorcycles parked a bit further away from them.

"I will see you at HQ," he finished before putting on the helmet that was resting on the seat.

With a rev of the engine and squeal of the back tire, he took off towards the Mishima Zaibatsu HQ.

Amidst all the chaos of the world war stood the grand hotel in which all the tournament's participants stayed. At least inside of its pristine walls, there was a small bit of solace as the workers kept a constant cheery attitude, despite the heightened emotions of the fighters and of the outside world. Lei-Fang and Xiaoyu were treated with genuine care as they were led to their room. Once they reached it, the girls openly gasped at the size of it. For all intents and purposes, their hotel room was the size of a small apartment, equipped with a sitting area, small kitchen, full bathroom, and a bedroom with two queen sized beds.

"Wow, Jin really knows how to treat his guests," Xiaoyu said as she dropped her bag on the first bed in the suite, "He even gave me an extra bed even though he knows that Panda is fine with just sleeping on the floor beside me."

Lei-Fang walked further into the room and placed her bag gingerly on the other bed. "I somehow don't think that this is just a coincidence, Xiao. He must know that I would come with you. I feel like he is expecting me."

"It's a possibility, but how would you ever get close enough to him? He's always surrounded by so many guards and the Tekken Force are everywhere. It seems impossible," the younger girl remarked as she began unpacking her bags and placing her clothes in the drawers.

Lei-Fang sighed and plopped down on the bed next to her bag, "I don't know. It's just this feeling that I have. I feel like it will work itself out if we were meant to be, but at the same time, I can't just sit around idly. I'll do what I can to get to him, but I understand that it won't be very easy."

The girls settled into their hotel room and decided to go out and see who else was around. As they were leaving, they ran into several other fighters that were just checking in. One girl in particular caught the girls' attention. She seemed to be caught in a scuffle with another girl, a long-haired blonde who seemed to have an air of authority about her. She spun on her white heels, nonchalantly walking away from the other girl.

"Just who do you think you are, Lili?" the short haired Japanese girl shouted, "If I remember correctly, I was the one who beat you during the last tournament!"

Lili stopped and turned her head and smiled, "Asuka, there will be a time and place for us to settle the score. And guess what? I will be the clear victor! However, I have more important things to do at the moment. Now if you'll excuse me, Ms. Kazama, there is a mess that needs cleaning up. I will at least say that you're lucky that you aren't involved heavily with Jin. Things between us would be even worse."

With those final words, the young blonde walked out of the hotel towards a limo that was waiting for her, leaving Asuka pounding her fists together in frustration.

Lei-Fang turned to Xiaoyu confusedly. "Kazama? Xiao, is this girl a relative of Jin's?"

"Yeah, she's his cousin," Xiaoyu responded, "Wow, he never told you? She entered the last tournament and they met there."

"Maybe she might be able to help us get close to Jin. Come on, let's go over to her," Lei-Fang said and grabbed her sister's hand.

Here was her chance to finally get some answers. Hopefully this Asuka Kazama would prove to be helpful; otherwise it was back to the drawing board.

"Asuka! Hey!" Xiaoyu excitedly ran over to her and threw her arms around her, "How are you doing?"

Bewildered, Asuka finally realized who had embraced her and a smile came across her face, "Xiao-chan, it's nice to see you! I wish it was under better circumstances, but oh well." She returned the friendly hug and then pulled away to see Lei-Fang lingering off to the side.

"Hi, I'm Lei-Fang. I'm Xiaoyu's sister and…" she paused and found herself surprised that she would do such a thing. This had never proved to be a problem before, but with the world in such disarray she suddenly felt an odd lump form in her throat as she was about to continue her sentence.

Fortunately, Xiaoyu sensed Lei's discomfort and stepped to her aid. "…and she's Jin's wife. Though in my sister's defense, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that with all that's going on, people could get the wrong idea about her and I'm sure you can understand that too."

Asuka nodded grimly. The young girl had already gotten into a few scraps back in Osaka because people automatically assumed that she and her father were just like Jin. It seemed that every time she came close to clearing her family name, Jin would do something to tarnish it again. Enough was enough and she knew that she had to go straight to the Mishima Zaibatsu and sort Jin out. Fortunately, the announcement of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 gave her the opening that she needed to do it. Now, Asuka is looking to face Jin and make him stop ruining the Kazama family name.

"If it wasn't for my idiot cousin, none of this would be going on right now. I can't wait to get my hands on him and give him a piece of my mind… and maybe my fist!" Asuka exclaimed as her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"You and I both," Xiaoyu agreed, "Though maybe not to the same extent as you. Lei-Fang and I are hoping to find a way to meet with Jin and find out what's really going on with him. We were wondering if you had any ideas."

Asuka sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "To be honest with you, I entered the tournament with the intentions of fighting my way to the top and hopefully meeting Jin for the final battle. Otherwise, I'm just as stumped as you are. But I know this is for sure: I will see Jin before I leave here and he will hear a piece of my mind!"

Lei-Fang was slightly taken aback by the young Osakan girl's fiery passion. She tried to imagine herself in Asuka's shoes and she completely understood where she was coming from. The Kazama family name which was once associated with peacefulness has now become synonymous with the Mishima family name. Lei-Fang, herself, has recently undergone scrutiny because of her last name and her association with Jin and she certainly did not like the harsh judgments being passed on her.

"Well, thanks, anyway, Asuka. If we hear about something, we'll be sure to let you know." Xiaoyu quipped hopefully.

"That sounds good, Xiao. Well, I better get going. My first match is tomorrow and I want to do some training before the opening ceremonies tonight. We should do some sparring together sometime." Asuka smiled at Xiaoyu before turning to Lei-Fang, "I'm really sorry about my bone-headed cousin, Lei-Fang. I'm sure that everything will be okay once someone gets to him. Until then, just stay positive and don't stop fighting. I hope to see you around!"

Once Asuka had left the sisters alone, Xiaoyu turned to Lei-Fang with a remorseful shrug of her shoulders, "I'm sorry about that, Lei. It looks like we're back to the drawing board, huh?"

The older girl shook her head, "It's fine, Xiaoyu. I didn't expect this to be easy. I'm pretty sure that the time will come where we will be able to meet up with Jin and demand some answers from him. Until then we just have to keep our eyes and ears open for an opportunity to do what we have to do."

The girls were able to explore their surroundings and meet other fighters as they were doing it. They found out that many of the people that were entering the tournament were seeking revenge on Jin for some sort of wrongdoing that he had done to them personally or they were just interested in obtaining the bounty that Kazuya Mishima of G Corporation had put on his head. Lei-Fang couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as she was surrounded by people who vehemently hated her husband at the moment. She just couldn't believe that the kind and gentle Jin that she had once fell in love with was the same person that was committing all these atrocities throughout the world.

Later in the evening, the participants of the tournament were required to attend the opening ceremonies. The event was to take place in one of the event rooms at the hotel and would serve as an official welcome from the Mishima Zaibatsu leader himself. When Lei-Fang heard about this, she couldn't help but become a little nervous. This would be the first time that she would see Jin since their time in Yakushima. She had no clue what to expect from him.

Xiaoyu placed a comforting arm around her, "It'll be okay, Lei-Fang. Who knows? Maybe he'll see us and then we'll get a chance to talk with him. This might be the opening that we need!"

Lei-Fang nodded absent mindedly, appreciating her sister's attempt at cheering her up, but knowing deep down that this wouldn't be the case.

"We should get going now," Xiaoyu finally spoke up, tugging her sister forward.

The two entered the event hall to see a large group of tournament participants standing around, eyeing a stage which was set up at the front of the room. Surprisingly there was a large barricade put in front of it as well as a line of Tekken Force soldiers holding their rifles proudly.

"Is this really all that necessary?" Xiaoyu said to Lei-Fang in reference to the preventative measures that were set up.

"With that bounty on Jin's head, I'm not surprised that he wouldn't want to take extra security precautions. Almost everyone here hates him. What would possibly stop them from wrapping their fingers around his neck and strangling the living daylights out of him?" Lei-Fang pondered.

A familiar voice cut into their conversation and the sisters whirled around in surprise. Asuka approached the girls with a smile on her face, "You got that right, Lei-Fang. My cousin sure has a lot of nerve showing his face around here. Either he's really brave or just really stupid. I mean just look around this room! Everyone here has some type of story."

Asuka directed Xiaoyu and Lei-Fang's attention to Lili, the girl that she had been arguing with out in the hotel lobby. "Do you guys see her? Her name is Lili Rochefort. Besides being a spoiled, obnoxious brat, she's the daughter of the man who owns a large oil company out in Morocco. She entered this tournament because Jin took control of her father's company and she wants revenge."

"And that guy over there?" Asuka pointed to a tall, tanned, and dark-haired man who was standing off to himself, just casually leaning against the wall, "His name is Miguel. He almost got arrested upon his arrival. He came in shouting for Jin to show himself so he could snap his head off, among other things. I heard that Jin had ordered a bombing over a town where his sister lived."

Lei-Fang inhaled sharply at that news. She was aware of the bombings that took place all of the world, but actually having a victim of one of them in the same room was overwhelming.

One by one, Asuka pointed out more people who were somehow affected by Jin and the Mishima Zaibatsu's actions. It was horrifying, to say the least.

"As you can see, Jin won't be arriving to much fanfare. He sure has a lot of nerve to just waltz upon stage so casually." Asuka muttered, her brows furrowing at the thought.

Xiaoyu nodded in understanding, "This is really serious business. We have to put an end to this, you guys."

Just then, a loud huff came from the group of soldiers and they immediately snapped to attention, turning towards the stage and saluting the Mishima Zaibatsu's flag that had been lowered to serve as a back drop. Just as quickly, they each turned back around, facing the crowd sternly and clenching their rifles readily. Before anyone else could say a word, Jin appeared on stage, his black trench coat flapping behind him, followed by Nina Williams and Eddy Gordo, his senior bodyguards, whom flanked him on either side of the podium.

"Eddy!"

One woman in the crowd raised a cry of protest, trying to push her way towards the front of the group, but was immediately stopped by a firm, but gentle pair of hands on her shoulders.

"Now's not the place for this, love," Steve Fox, the British boxer, whispered to her, "You'll surely get your chance during the tournament."

Even Miguel Caballero Rojo, the angry man from earlier, was able to maintain his composure. However, if looks could kill, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Jin Kazama would be dead.

The Brazilian woman gritted her teeth, but resigned herself to her fate. Christie Monteiro stared defiantly at the man beside Jin, willing her eyes to communicate all the anger and betrayal that she felt deep in her heart. Eddy seemed to look in her direction, but his face remained devoid of any emotion, a perfect mask of compliance and allegiance to the Mishima Zaibatsu's cause.

Jin Kazama appeared calm and collected, unperturbed by Christie's random outburst; there was no sign of cruelty or malice on his handsome features. His brown eyes scanned the crowd, taking in their darting glances and stares, but soon settled upon a pair of soft, doe-eyed, cinnamon brown eyes that easily stood out from the rest of the crowd.

Jin was not surprised that Lei-Fang had come; in fact, he was slightly delighted. At least in the sea of anger and hatred there would be at least one that would dare to show him some understanding. All he had to do was find the right time to tell her everything. He sighed inwardly and tore his glance away from hers. He knew that Lei-Fang had a right to the truth, but at the same time, once he told her, there was no way for them to continue to be together. Jin knew that this would mark the end of their relationship and this was something that he had grown to accept; it was necessary in the grand scheme of things.

"Jin, is everything alright?" Nina whispered in his ear, snapping him back to the here and now.

Jin quickly recovered, nodding in her direction before clearing his throat and beginning his speech.

"Welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6," he spoke evenly and comfortably, "I see that you all are filled with vigor to fight and a determination to win; this is commendable, however it will not be so simple. Do not take my presence today as a sign of weakness and stupidity. On the contrary, I am not afraid to face death. I am aware of the price put on me by Kazuya and I'm positive that the majority of you are here to make good on that deal. Allow me to assure you that I will not make it easy for you: you must not use all your hatred against me. Look to your left and to your right: these are your competitors, the ones who are also looking for glory. Before you will even have the opportunity to face me, you will have to prove your worthiness by defeating them. Only then, will I see you fit enough to be my opponent. As usual, my position as CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu is at stake along with the infamy and power that comes along with it."

At this point, Eddy stepped forward and whispered something into his ear. Jin nodded curtly before returning his attention to the crowd. "The world is changing. It is a much needed change. A new era is coming, one in which the power of mankind will be tested. I use the word loosely, but know that power comes in various forms. Things are not as they seem."

The crowd stood in silence, drinking in Jin's words. Despite the amount of tension present in the room, there was a slight air of respect for the young leader at how eloquently he conducted himself. Without ever wanting to acknowledge it, many of the competitors found themselves inspired by his words.

"Regardless of where you came from today," Jin continued after a slight pause, "Know that each and every one of you in this room has the power to change the world and make a difference. How you do it is solely up to you. For now, you must be able to prove yourself as the strongest, the King of Iron Fist. Good luck to all of you; you will surely need it."


	2. Chapter 2

*Devil Released*

AN: Hi, guys! So there's been a fair bit of interest in the last chapter, so I've decided to post another just to keep the ball rolling. Don't forget to leave a review. Thanks so much and enjoy!

Once the speech ended, Xiaoyu and Lei-Fang returned to their room to settle in for the evening. Xiaoyu was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts and was already underneath the covers. Lei-Fang sat next to her sister on the bed.

"So what did you think, Xiao?" Lei-Fang questioned as she began to undo her braids.

Xiaoyu lightly tapped her fingers to her lips pensively, "Well, I think that the chicken was a little dry, but the sauce helped to pull the dish together…"

"No, Xiao, not about dinner," Lei-Fang said a bit exasperatedly, "I'm talking about Jin. What did you think of him? Of his speech?"

"Oh, well, I don't know, Lei. He seemed very confident and self-assured. I still can't believe that he even risked being out in public, but I guess only a foolish person would try to attack him when he's surrounded by security." Xiaoyu replied thoughtfully.

Lei-Fang finished undoing her braids and she ran her hands through her hair, allowing it to fall to her shoulders. "I think that he seemed a bit off. He was speaking pretty cryptically in my opinion. I think that something is wrong."

Xiaoyu sighed, "Of course something is wrong. Jin has become a crazy dictator and is trying to take over the world!"

"No, Xiao! I'm being serious here," Lei defended herself, "I think that there is much more to this and that Jin is hiding something. I mean, I can't prove anything right now, but I think that if I just had a chance to talk with him, I might be able to convince him to open up to me. Then we could help him."

Xiaoyu laid her head down, turning to her side to face her sister. "I hope you're right, Lei-Fang. It would be nice to have the normal Jin back again. I can imagine that you and Toshiro must miss him like crazy."

At the mention of their infant son, Lei-Fang felt an undeniable pain in her heart. She couldn't allow for that cycle of hatred to continue no matter what. At first, Jin was adamant about ending the Mishima bloodline and wouldn't even entertain the thought of having a child. With some convincing, however, he caved in and Toshiro became their pride and joy. It was at this point that Jin and Lei-Fang vowed to shield their son from the harmful effects of the Mishima bloodline by teaching him nothing but goodness and purity. Over time, this seemed effective until Jin mysteriously disappeared after the 5th tournament leading up to the present day.

More and more, Lei-Fang became convinced that Jin's absence was affecting Toshiro negatively. Their son seemed to smile much less and even seemed rather gloomy. He was unlike other one year old boys in the sense that he seemed almost too serious for his age. It was almost as if he knew that something was wrong and could only express himself so sorrowfully.

Leaving Toshiro again was one of the hardest decisions she had to make. While, Lei-Fang knew he would be in good hands with her mother, she wasn't sure what to expect from the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. She didn't know what she could expect from Jin whenever she sees him and the last thing she would ever want is for Toshiro to become an orphan, not to mention that the tournament would be no place for a woman with such a young child.

Noticing that Lei-Fang hadn't answered her, Xiaoyu reached over and touched her hand softly, "I promise you that I'll do my best during each and every fight. It's not even about me anymore, Lei. I just want to see you happy once again."

Xiao gave her sister's hand a squeeze before pulling back, "Let's get some sleep. I have my first match up tomorrow afternoon and I want to be ready for it."

Lei-Fang nodded absentmindedly and stood up to walk over to her bed. "Sweet dreams, Xiao."

"And I hope they are even sweeter for you, Lei," Xiaoyu responded with a smile.

The next morning, the two Chinese girls were up early. The tournament was about to begin and Xiaoyu had a scheduled match with Julia Chang. Also, Panda would be arriving to act as the girls' bodyguard. She will also be participating in the tournament, but she did not have a scheduled fight until later. This also meant that Xiaoyu would not have a consistent sparring partner, but Lei-Fang was happy to fill in for the time being.

The two were going at it in the spacious gymnasium that was on the first floor of the hotel. There were several other combatants present, either sparring with each other or practicing on their own, but there was more than enough space for all of them to not get in each other's ways.

Lei-Fang was trying to push her sister a little harder than usual. Just by looking around the room, she could tell that Xiaoyu was going to have some stiff competition. Steve Fox was busying himself with a punching bag. She could barely keep up with his quick punches. She recognized Paul Phoenix, a man who had been in every single King of Iron Fist Tournament, standing next to the boxer, seemingly coaching him and providing some pointers. Asuka Kazama was there working on a kata, while King and Craig Marduk were practicing some wrestling techniques.

Meanwhile, Lei-Fang had her work cut out for her as she helped train Xiaoyu. Although she was quick, Lei-Fang was easily able to pick out the direction of her attacks and found ways to easily reverse them or counter them. She kept trying to encourage Xiao to mix up her strikes and to think outside of the box. The pig-tailed girl lowered herself to the ground, adopting her Phoenix Stance. Lei-Fang smiled, anticipating the younger girl's moves and braced herself for a low attack.

"You have to keep your opponent guessing, Xiao!" Lei-Fang told her as she managed to block a low sweep. Maybe it was because she was familiar with Xiaoyu's strategy, but Lei was finding it very easy to either reverse or block Xiaoyu's hits.

Just as she said that, Xiaoyu jumped up and just before landing, attacked with a perfect low kick to Lei-Fang.

"Got you!" the younger girl proclaimed proudly, holding up two fingers symbolizing "V for victory."

Lei-Fang laughed, "That was splendid, Xiaoyu. I think you will do great today."

"I know I will! I have to win the tournament so I can get to Jin, remember?" Xiaoyu returned with a grin.

The older Chinese girl solemnly nodded. It was the only legitimate way for a contestant to face the current owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

"We should get going. I wouldn't want you to waste all of your energy on sparring." Lei-Fang said as she placed an arm around Xiao, "I'll walk you over to the arena."

After walking Xiaoyu to her first match up, Lei-Fang returned to the hotel room. Under normal circumstances, she would have stayed, but this event was closed off to the public. As she was about to sit down on the bed, she noticed a golden envelope placed on her pillow. Curious as to what it was, she picked it up, carefully opened the envelope and took out the piece of paper inside. She was hit with a wave of nostalgia as she recognized the small, neat print as Jin's handwriting:

 _I'd like for you to join me for dinner 6pm this evening at the Mishima mansion. A driver will be outside waiting for you at 5. You will find a dress inside of your closet. I think it will suit your style very well._

Lei-Fang re-read the short note several times, trying to find any hidden meanings in his word or any hint of emotion for her, but was disappointed when she realized that his words could only be taken at face value. Her feelings of dismay were quickly replaced with anxiety as she realized that she would finally be meeting with her husband after all this time. While admittedly, she didn't expect to be meeting with him so soon upon arriving, she was rather excited for the opportunity. Despite the way that he's been acting towards the world, would he still treat her the same way as before? Could she somehow make him see the error in his ways and make him stop this mindless destruction before it's too late? Lei-Fang soon realized that there would be a lot of pressure on her during this one meeting and she intended not to mess everything up. She turned to the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was a couple minutes after 4 o'clock. With a look of solid determination in her eye, she stood up and began to get herself ready for the inevitable meeting with Jin.

At 5 o'clock exactly, Lei-Fang exited her room, wearing a red mandarin collared dress with gold embroidery and a thigh high slit on each side. She had left her hair loose, finding that her hands were too shaky to braid it in its usual style. She nervously began to twist the strands around her finger tips as she made her way to the elevator doors. The hotel was sufficiently quiet since most of the fighters have left to fulfill their own agendas.

Once she stepped foot out of the elevators, one of the hotel attendants was there to greet her. "Good evening, miss. There is a limo waiting for you outside. Take care not to miss it."

Lei-Fang murmured a quick reply before exiting the hotel. There was a black stretch limo waiting for her just as the attendant had said. However, the attendant did not mention that it would have the Mishima Zaibatsu flag waving proudly from the back window. Lei-Fang quickly found herself blushing as she realized that by entering the vehicle, it would be signifying her affiliation with such a group. Although it was probably all in her head, she felt a dozen eyes boring into her, judging her for associating with Jin Kazama and the Mishima Zaibatsu.

The limo driver had stepped out of the car and was patiently holding the door for her, "Is everything alright, miss?"

She quickly snapped out of her reverie, uttered a quick apology and stepped into the limo. The driver shut the door behind her before re-entering the car and taking off in the direction of the Mishima mansion.

The drive itself was mostly uneventful though Lei-Fang's head was spinning with all the possibilities that could arise when she finally sees Jin. Will he be pleased to see her? Did he have a specific reason for inviting her? Did he still feel the same way? She found herself beginning to get very anxious and she knew that she wouldn't accomplish anything if she did not shake this feeling away.

Once the driver approached the front gates of the mansion, Lei-Fang attempted to pull herself together. If she was hoping to get on Jin's good side, she would have to relax herself enough that she won't attack him upon laying eyes on him. Meanwhile, the driver had passed through the gates and was now driving up the long expanse of driveway leading up to the main building of the complex. Everything seemed different from the last time she had ventured up to the mansion in her desperate attempt to find her husband. Now, everything seemed much more militaristic in nature, even down to the fact that the Tekken Force soldiers that were surrounding the house wore heavy military uniforms and even carried rifles.

From his office, Jin could see the limo arriving at the front steps of the mansion to drop off Lei-Fang. As she stepped out of the vehicle, he was pleased to see that she had accepted the dress and she looked just as good as he thought she would in it. He watched her as she ascended the steps and was escorted to the front door and he knew that he would need to be available to greet her soon.

He turned towards the intercom on his desk and pressed a button, "Meet me at the main lobby."

Without even waiting for a reply, Jin stood up and picked up the suit jacket that was resting behind his chair, slinging it behind his back as he exited his office.

"I knew she would come," Jin murmured to no one in particular as he watched her descend the staircase towards him.

Lei-Fang took each step daintily, her golden strappy heels lightly tapping the red carpet. She caught his gaze and held it steady. He stood there flanked by his two head body guards, Nina Williams and Eddy Gordo. He was wearing a simple white button down shirt with black dress trousers. He still held the black jacket behind his back. When she reached the bottom step, she slowly approached him, unsure of whether or not Nina and Eddy would try to make a move, but they stood still, only their eyes watching her every move.

Jin took a step forward and raised his arms in greeting, "Welcome. I'm glad that you were able to join me for dinner this evening. I see that the dress is to your liking."

She nodded meekly, unable to formulate any words just yet. Jin then turned abruptly, waving his hand for everyone to follow him into the main dining hall where there was a table set for two. Lei-Fang was engrossed with her surroundings; she couldn't believe just how ornate everything was. Like the majority of the house, the main color scheme was red, gold, and black. Large black and gold drapes spilled down from the windows to the cherry wood floors. The table was placed in the center of the dining room and was set with the most ornate china wear. Jin walked over to one side of the table and pulled out the chair for his wife to sit in. She gracefully took her seat and settled herself in just as Jin was beginning to do the same at the other side of the table.

Lei-Fang was unsure as to how she should begin the conversation. The last time she had seen Jin in person was back when they were in Yakushima together and Jin was trying to fight off the Devil Gene's influence. There were so many questions that she needed answers to, but with Jin's security guards standing just a couple feet away from the couple, it made getting around to such inquiries difficult.

As if reading her mind, Jin turned to the body guards and said, "Thank-you, Eddy and Nina, that will be all for now. Please remain on stand-by."

"Yes, sir," they both responded before heading out of the room, leaving the couple to their own devices.

"Dinner will be served shortly," Jin returned coolly to Lei-Fang, "In the time being, why don't we reacquaint ourselves. A lot has changed since the last time we have seen each other. To be honest with you, I am very pleased to see you here."

"I am happy to see you too, Jin. I just wish that it was under better circumstances," Lei-Fang said, eyeing him carefully, curious to see his reaction to her statement.

He seemed unnerved by what she said and he shrugged nonchalantly. "And what better circumstances can there be? It is nearly time for the biggest event that the world will ever see." A chagrined smile spread across his lips, "I'm certain that you will have a front row seat to it."

Lei-Fang was taken aback by his manner, "What exactly do you mean by that, Jin?"

"You will see in due time," he simply answered, folding his hands on the table and leaning forward towards her, "How is Toshiro?"

"He's well," Lei-Fang said quietly, "He misses his father." And I miss my husband, she thought, but dared not say it aloud.

Jin nodded his acknowledgement, but said nothing else in regards to the subject. It was at this point that the servants arrived with their dinner and had placed the dishes in front of them. Jin thanked them as they turned to leave and then turned to his wife, "Enjoy."

The two ate in silence, but Lei-Fang could not even taste the exquisiteness of the dishes; she was so focused on Jin. When she had seen him at the opening ceremonies, she was sure that he had put on a façade just for everyone else and that he would let his guard down when with her, but it seemed all the same. Jin had changed so much in the time period that she had last been with him and she was honestly unfamiliar with this man sitting before her.

Jin noticed Lei-Fang's silence and he knew that she was mustering up the courage to attack him like he knew she wanted. He was aware of her needs and he knew that as her husband, it is his duty to oblige them; however, Jin could not allow for that if it meant putting her in danger. He had hoped that by pushing her away, she would move on, but instead it drew her closer and closer to him. It pained him that there would be unnecessary casualties in his efforts, but there's no turning back now, not when salvation is so close.

Once they finished their meal and the servants cleaned up the table, Jin and Lei-Fang moved to his office. He was seated comfortably in an armchair, while she sat in a loveseat which was slightly angled towards him. Lei-Fang noted that although she had sat down first, he chose to sit apart from her. Was he purposefully trying to distance himself from her?

"So what's it like being the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu," Lei-Fang asked her husband as she slowly sipped on her wine.

"It's really not all that it's cracked up to be actually," Jin said with little mirth in his voice, "It's a very overrated position. It doesn't pay well at all."

Lei-Fang scoffed, "You sure fooled me!"

It was interesting to be speaking so frankly with him after all of this time. For a moment, it could have seemed as if they were in their old living area back home enjoying a little after dinner conversation before heading out to the dojo for a sparring match. As she sipped more and more of her wine, Lei-Fang soon found herself expressing more of her sentiments to him.

"I think you should come home, Jin. Just give up the Mishima Zaibatsu, stop all of this destruction, and come back home," she said to him, her eyes slowly looking up to meet with his, "I miss you."

Surprisingly, Jin didn't seem to balk at her admission. In fact, for a moment, his face softened and he let out a sigh.

"You and I both know that I can't do that," he spoke softly, avoiding her gaze.

She leaned against the arm of the chair, effectively bringing herself as close to him as she could without getting up, "Jin, if this has anything to do with the Devil Gene…"

"You don't understand," Jin interrupted her, looking up abruptly and meeting her slightly startled expression, "You don't know what it's like to not be fully in control of yourself, to constantly hear that demonic voice in my ear, telling me that it knows what is best for me."

Lei-Fang put down her glass and reached over to touch his hand, "I can help you, Jin. We've worked at it before. This is no different."

He stood up from his chair and walked over to the window overlooking the entire estate. He remained silent for some time, leaving her fervent statement hanging in the air. Lei-Fang was about to interject again, but was silenced when Jin finally spoke.

"Lei-Fang," it was the first time he had said her name all evening and she had to admit that it sounded rather odd, "I'm sure that you have heard about the things I have done since I've taken control of the Mishima Zaibatsu. To be honest, I'm rather shocked that you have yet to directly address them."

Without waiting for her to plead her case, Jin continued, "Do you know why I have done all of those things?"

"Because you were being controlled by the Devil," she answered confidently. What other reason could there have been?

"No," Jin replied, turning from the window and facing her, his eyes unreadable and his voice low, "Because I chose to."

The confusion quickly spread across her features and she looked up at him quizzically, "Jin…?"

Surprisingly, he smiled, even if it didn't quite reach his eyes, and strode over to where she was seated.

"That is the truth. I caused war because I wanted to. I did it because it was necessary," he reiterated as he sat down next to her on the loveseat. He gazed intently in her eyes, waiting for the reality of the situation to fully hit her.

"Jin, innocent people died because of your Tekken Force soldiers. You've effectively destroyed people's homes and slaughtered their loved ones just because you 'wanted to?!'" she said, eyeing him very carefully.

He simply nodded, "I know. It was something that had to be done."

Lei-Fang gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach knowing that this man sitting before her can somehow justify the needless violence and destruction that he had been causing around the globe. For the first time since her entire visit, Lei-Fang took a good look at the man and instead of seeing Jin Kazama, her husband and father of their son, she saw Jin Kazama, the ruthless CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu conglomerate. She actually found herself shifting away from him in her seat.

"You're despicable!" she spat at him, as she stood up from the loveseat, "How could you do such a thing? How could you sit back and watch as thousands of people are killed? How could you sleep at night knowing that you have caused so much destruction?"

"Very well, actually," he replied quite nonchalantly.

It was at this point that Lei-Fang began to feel her body beginning to shake with the amount of anger that was welling up inside of her. The air in the room was beginning to stifle her and she was slowly losing her composure. It was obvious that her initial plan of converting Jin was sinking fast and from what he was saying, it seemed as if he was too far gone. There was nothing left for her to do, but leave; she would not accomplish anything today.

Lei-Fang took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she had managed to clear her mind of the noise and her eyes landed directly on Jin's. She desperately searched them for any ounce of doubt, but was disappointed to find nothing. Jin had always been skilled at concealing his true thoughts and emotions and the only thing she saw in his eyes was a woman frantically grasping at straws to save what little was left of her husband's humanity.

"I can't stay here with you… in fact, I don't even think I know you anymore…" she said almost sadly.

Jin stood up and nodded curtly, "I understand. I will have someone see you out. It was my pleasure having you over though I am sorry to have soured your mood. I hope that when we next see each other, it will be under better circumstances."

Lei-Fang was about to open her mouth to respond to him, but instead found that she had nothing else to say. What more could she say at this point? Without another word, she turned and walked out of the office.


	3. Chapter 3

*Devil Released*

AN: I wanted to move the story along even more so here's an additional chapter. Don't forget to leave a review! Thank you and enjoy!

As soon as Lei-Fang walked through the door of her hotel room, Xiaoyu and Panda, whom Xiaoyu picked up after her fight, stood up to greet her.

"Hey, you're back! I saw the letter from Jin on your bed. How did your meeting with him go?" Xiaoyu asked excitedly.

At this point, Lei-Fang finally burst into the tears that she had been holding back since she left the mansion. Both Xiaoyu and Panda hurried to the older girl and led her to a seat with Xiaoyu on her right, and Panda seated on the floor beside them. She placed a paw on Lei's lap and patted it.

Xiaoyu placed an arm around her sister and offered up weakly, "Not so well, huh?"

"He's gone, Xiao," Lei-Fang said in between sobs, "The Jin that we knew might as well be dead. He did everything on purpose. All those people are dead and he doesn't feel a thing!"

The younger Chinese girl furrowed her brows as Panda let out a grunt of discontent. "Lei, what are you talking about?"

Lei-Fang shook her head fervently, "I don't know what happened to him, Xiao, but Jin has changed. He's just as cold and calculating as Kazuya and Heihachi. I don't know what he's after, but we have to do our best to stop him. We can't let him hurt other people anymore."

Xiaoyu grasped her sister's hand and squeezed it tight, "That's exactly what we're here to do, Lei-Fang, and because I won my match today, I'm one step closer to facing Jin in the finals. Don't worry. We won't leave until everything is back to normal, isn't that right, Panda?"

The bear nodded her head enthusiastically, flashing the two girls a reassuring smile.

Although, Lei-Fang was sure of her plan to stop Jin from continuing his evil ways, she couldn't hide the slight seed of doubt in her mind of her convictions to go through with her plans. She knew deep down that she could never willingly hurt Jin and at the same time, there would be no other way to stop him, other than by force. It was obvious that her confliction would inevitably affect the success of their mission, but she somehow hoped that if it came down to it, she could put her feelings aside and do what would be considered right for the greater good, otherwise, the effects could be disastrous for the world.

It was with this in mind that Lei-Fang wiped her tears and resolved herself to handling Jin one way or another. She only hoped that she would find the strength to follow through with this plan.

For the next several days, Xiaoyu and Panda have been competing in the tournament and doing well. The two of them combined were able to take down six competitors and were still high from victory.

Xiaoyu and Panda went out to celebrate along with Asuka for making it all the way to the semi-finals. The trio decided on a rousing night of karaoke with Asuka calling herself the "best of the best" at the diversion. They invited Lei-Fang to come along with them, but she politely declined. As happy as she was for her sister, she couldn't find it in her heart to celebrate when she hadn't yet achieved her goal.

Ever since her ill-fated meeting with Jin, Lei-Fang had found herself in a funk. Time was running out and it began to seem less likely that she could even get through to Jin. Besides herself and Xiaoyu, no one else seemed to care about the young leader's well-being. People were speculating more and more about that handsome bounty from G Corporation; they were willing to band together to bring down the Mishima Zaibatsu's owner. The more that she heard this kind of talk, the less Lei-Fang was willing to go out in public. So, she contented herself with her own company, drawing up fantastical plans on how to get through to Jin; at least it kept her mind going.

Lei-Fang began preparing for bed a little past midnight. Just as she was about to turn in for the night, her cell phone began to vibrate. Thinking that it was Xiaoyu, she grabbed it and was surprised to see a text from an unknown number.

"Meet me outside."

"Could it be…?" Lei-Fang thought aloud as she reviewed the phone number. She decided to risk texting the number back for confirmation purposes, but was disappointed to find that her text could not be delivered.

Curious, Lei-Fang rose out of bed and quickly dressed, throwing on a pair of shorts, a yellow tank top, and a pair of sneakers. She grabbed her phone and hotel key before heading out.

Once Lei-Fang stepped off of the elevator, she was greeted by the front desk receptionist. The young woman smiled and spoke to her brightly.

"Good evening, miss. I believe your friend is waiting for you right outside."

Lei-Fang nodded and murmured a quick thank you before heading towards the hotel entrance with a heightened awareness of her surroundings. Many thoughts were running through her head as she considered various different scenarios that could have led the unknown messenger to her. She began to imagine that someone had discovered her ties to Jin and had arranged to have her kidnapped or even worse, tortured until she would reveal some deep, dark secret of Jin's.

As she exited the building, she noticed a man who was leaning against a motorcycle with his head down and arms folded. The first attribute of his that caught her eye was his hair; there was no mistaking those bangs or that widow's peak.

"Jin…"

Although she had only whispered his name, he looked up and immediately locked eyes with her.

Despite her previous interaction with him, which had quickly devolved into a disaster, Lei-Fang still felt her heart flutter. A small part of her still maintained some semblance of hope.

"Here," he said, handing her a helmet.

She took it from him hesitantly and watched as he situated himself on the motorcycle. He looked up expectantly, waiting for her to join him.

Curiosity got the better of her and soon Lei-Fang found herself with her arms wrapped around his waist, as they weaved in and out of traffic along the freeway. She soon recognized the path he was taking and realized that they were going back to the Mishima mansion. She wanted to ask him the reason why, but between the revving of the motorcycle's engine and the sound of traffic, she would easily become drowned out. Instead, she was forced to wait for them to pull into the expansive property.

Upon reaching the Mishima residence, Jin drove up the narrow, gravel pathway towards the dojo, Hon Maru, which had been rebuilt following the explosion where Jack robots were sent to eliminate Heihachi. Once they arrived, Jin turned off the bike and the two hopped off. Lei-Fang pulled off her helmet, resting it on the bike's seat before turning to Jin questioningly.

Already several steps ahead of her, Jin simply said, "Spar with me."

The look in his eyes confused her, yet intrigued her. For the first time since this whole ordeal had started, Jin looked genuine, seemingly like his old self. The coldness in his eyes was replaced with a budding warmth burning within the brown orbs.

Lei-Fang nodded dumbly and her body seemed to switch to autopilot as she followed him into the dojo. As they reached the wooden doors to enter the dojo, Jin suddenly stopped and turned to face her.

"For a moment, I was afraid that you wouldn't come. Thank you for taking a risk with me tonight," he said, a small smile dancing across his lips.

With those words, he reached out for her hand while using the other to push open the heavy wooden doors for the dojo. They opened with a start to reveal a sprawling arena outfitted with several large torches for lighting. The fact that they were lit led Lei-Fang to believe that Jin had intentionally planned for this sparring session.

Their footsteps seemed much heavier due to the acoustics of the room as the pair made their way to the center of the dojo. Throughout this whole situation, Lei-Fang still had yet to even question him or say anything to him period. Part of her was so taken aback by this sudden change in attitude, while another part of her felt as if she would wake up from a dream if she were to speak; however, she knew that something needed to be said.

"Jin, why did you bring me here?" Her voice did not sound as nonchalant as she had hoped; then again, she was not as good as Jin when it came to hiding one's emotions.

Instead of responding right away, he let go of her hand and took several steps back from her. He adjusted his biking gloves before answering, "I needed the challenge."

He inclined his head, waiting for her to adopt her T'ai Chi Quan fighting stance while he raised his fists to his karate stance. They waited about a minute, sizing each other up before Jin went on the offensive, performing his signature Kazama Style 5 Hit Combo. Fortunately, Lei-Fang saw it coming and was easily able to block his moves, even managing to side step the last kick. She reached out to grab him, but he slipped away from her, instead opting to perform a Feint Kick Combo which caught her off guard.

"How soon we forget…" Jin said playfully, a trace of a smile on his lips.

Lei-Fang arched an eyebrow at him before retorting, "I've learned a few new moves myself."

With that, she launched into a combo, ending in a powerful blow in which she thrusts her fists into her opponent's chest, in effect, sending Jin rolling backwards.

Jin sat up, catching his breath before muttering, "You've gotten stronger. I guess I shouldn't have underestimated you."

"Too easy!" Lei-Fang beamed, giving him a false salute and giggling. She had to admit that sparring with Jin had always been fun. She never would have guessed that she would have found herself back here with him in a million years, but for the time being, she planned on taking advantage of the here and now.

Jin kicked up to his feet, not wasting anytime. He regained his stance and nodded at his wife.

"Alright, no more playing around. Let's do this."

The T'ai Chi Quan genius smiled and adopted her fighting stance. She waited for Jin to launch his next attack, circling her arms in a defensive stance. Testing her, he threw a couple jabs her way which she blocked effortlessly. He then poked her with a low kick, unexpectedly throwing her off balance. He followed up with a roundhouse kick which knocked her in the temple, causing her to fall hard on her hands.

Scrambling to her feet, Lei-Fang shook her head of her dizziness and eyed her husband. She took a step back before unleashing her own flurry of punches, ending with an elbow to the sternum. It was at this point that she tried grabbing him, but to no avail. Jin slipped from her grasp, sidestepping her attempted throw, and instead launched her into the air with his Double Lift Kicks. She quickly rolled away upon landing, just narrowly avoiding his heel drop. Lei-Fang stuck her leg out, trying to get him with a sweep kick which he easily jumped over. Anticipating that move, she quickly got up, knowing that he would be defenseless for a split second, and performed a front jump kick, pushing his head back.

Now it was Jin's turn to snap himself out of his disorientation, but before he could do so, he was once again greeted with his wife's fists. He managed to recover and he parried one of her blows before following up with a quick punch-kick combo. Not one to be outdone, Lei-Fang countered his attacks with a hold; she held his wrist as she kicked him in the gut before shoving him with an open palm. Jin was pushed back against the wall at this point, but he didn't let his disadvantage deter him. When Lei-Fang went to strike, he dodged it and went behind her, catching her in one of the worst ways that a fighter could. She struggled uselessly against him, knowing that his strength would easily overpower her.

He lifted her off her feet, turning his hip, as he slammed her into the hardwood floor. Lei-Fang attempted to get up from the fall, but she only sat there dizzily, continuously rubbing her head. She did not want to admit defeat, but it had become pretty obvious by this point that she would be unable to continue. Still, she pushed to her feet, wobbling, yet determined, and took her fighting stance. Jin stared at her, assessing the situation and realizing that she shouldn't continue at this point, but understanding her pride, he didn't tell her so. Instead he showed her by quickly performing a sweep kick that she should have seen coming, but of course connected because she was still slightly off balance.

"That's enough," Jin spoke softly, offering his hand to Lei-Fang who had fallen to the dojo floor. She hadn't fallen very hard from his final sweep kick, but she still graciously accepted his hand. He easily pulled her to her feet and led her over to a corner of the dojo where he had some towels and water bottles for them. He threw off his t-shirt which was drenched with sweat at this point and used the towel to wipe himself down. He gestured to Lei-Fang and she picked up her own water bottle and towel to dry off.

Exhausted from the heated matchup, Jin and Lei-Fang were resting against the dojo wall, breathing heavily. Neither of them had said a word although there was a hanging tension in the air. She glanced at Jin, hoping that he would be the first to address the odd situation before them. She watched the rise and the fall of his chest as he calmly breathed in and out, his eyes closed, shutting out the surrounding world. It was clear to her that his mind was elsewhere at the moment, possibly even forgetting that she was even there. The only sound between them was the crackling of the fire, emitting a light glow all around them.

Shuffling towards him, Lei-Fang was the first to break the silence.

"Jin, is everything ok? I know that I asked already, but I don't understand why you would randomly show up and bring me all the way here."

In reply, he slowly opened his eyes and turned to face her. There was something there that she couldn't quite read. Sadness? Regret? Remorse? Either way, it seemed uncharacteristic of him.

"Can I not want to spend time with my wife?" he answered quietly, "Do you really believe everything that the media has said about me? Do you think that I am that cold hearted?"

Lei-Fang struggled to answer his questions, but to no avail. The Jin before her was a complete 180 degree turn from the Jin she met during her previous visit to the Mishima mansion.

The young leader gulped down some more water before continuing, "Lei-Fang, things are not as they seem. Look for the big picture. Do you really think that I gain pleasure from killing innocent people?"

Now she was confused. This line of questioning seemed to go against everything that he had said to her during their conversation in his office.

"But, Jin, isn't that what you said?" she questioned hesitantly.

He hung his head low and shook his head slightly, letting out his breath that he had been holding in. He seemed disappointed in her answer.

Jin waited a moment before lifting his head up and facing her, "You only heard what you wanted to hear, Lei-Fang. I don't gain any sense of pleasure from doing what I have been doing."

"Then why continue? You can put an end to this anytime that you want to," she replied, leaning even more towards him until only a few inches separated their faces.

She waited for him to respond, in the meantime, desperately searching his eyes for any type of understanding. Lei-Fang knew that it was there, it was just a matter of reaching it.

"I know that, but I can't right now," he whispered, "I have my reasons."

"Jin, please, just let me in. If there is anything I can help you with, I will do it," Lei-Fang pleaded with him, her voice wavering.

It was at this point that he reached out to touch her, pushing a loose strand of her hair away from her face and cupping her chin to look up at him.

"I need you to stay alive and to be there for Toshiro," Jin spoke softly, "I will do everything in my power to protect the both of you, but I need you to stay out of the way. I need you to trust me unconditionally. Everything that I'm doing, I am doing for a reason. I can't tell you right now, but there will be a time and place for you to know the truth."

Jin stared intently at her, hoping that she would at least understand this simple request that he made.

When she didn't respond immediately, Jin was about to reiterate his point again when she calmly interrupted him.

"Jin, I love you."

It was the first time that either of them had even expressed that type of feeling to each other since they last saw one another in Yakushima.

He looked away from her, swallowing thickly as he ran a hand through his hair.

Seeing his odd reaction, Lei-Fang moved closer to him, placing a hand right on his lap.

"Jin?" she questioned.

Without even waiting for his response, she leaned in and brushed her lips lightly across his cheek. She lingered there for a moment, taking in the feeling of his warmth radiating from his body, the salty taste of his sweat from their vigorous sparring. She felt him react strongly with a sharp intake of breath and his body stiffening.

He had closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore the feelings that were rising up inside of him. How long has it been since he has felt Lei-Fang's gentle touch? He was convinced that after leaving Yakushima that he had locked away that part of himself; he thought that those feelings would become inaccessible because of the Devil Gene. The fact that he could even still recognize these tender feelings spoke volumes about his remaining humanity, but at this point, Jin saw love as a weakness, a hindrance to his ultimate plan. Yet, he couldn't deny that the feelings that she evoked inside of him weren't pleasant.

She inhaled, taking in his scent and feeling herself begin to crave more of him. She was sure that he felt it too as she noticed the hairs behind his neck standing up and his breathing seemed just a bit more labored as he struggled to maintain control of himself.

"Jin…" Lei-Fang whispered, her breath just tickling his ear.

Without really trying to, she had caused him to reach his breaking point.

He immediately turned towards her, crushing his lips against hers and cradling her head in his hands, holding her as closely to him as possible.

Lei-Fang returned the sentiment in kind, wrapping her arms around his neck and whimpering her pleasure.

The two became completely engrossed in one another, forgetting for a moment all of the problems and complications that they were facing. At least for this moment, the world was not falling into disarray, there wasn't a group of powerful fighters that wanted Jin's head on a stake, and Kazuya Mishima wasn't out there plotting his attack against the Mishima Zaibatsu. At this very moment, it was just Jin and Lei-Fang, just like how it use to be.

Now, it was with these pent up feelings for each other that Jin and Lei-Fang found themselves succumbing to their passions. The two consummated their love for each other under the flickering glow of the torches in Hon Maru and the near constant whistle of the wind and scratching of the trees outside the dojo.

Once their passions cooled, Lei-Fang snuggled closer to Jin, adjusting the blankets that he had brought out to make their activities more comfortable. She looked up at him with a smile on her face and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He turned to look at her, but for whatever reason, he didn't seem as pleased as she did. In fact, his eyes looked vacant.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, sitting up so she could more easily see him.

"Everything comes full circle," Jin whispered, looking Lei-Fang in the eyes. He had this look of dread that really confused her.

As she was about to question his words, the two suddenly heard a loud commotion outside of the dojo.

Jin was the first to react, throwing the sheets off of him and gruffly ordering Lei-Fang to get dressed. Startled, she quickly put her clothes back on and watched as he did so as well. He walked to the entrance of the dojo and pushed open the doors to see a group of security officers hurriedly giving commands to one another. Lei-Fang hung back a few steps behind him, unsure if she should allow herself to be seen.

"What's the meaning of this?" Jin asked, at once resuming his role as the leader and CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu conglomerate.

One of the guards approached Jin, bowing lowly before answering, "Sir, there seems to be a disturbance over on the northeast quadrant of the manor."

Jin sighed, "And what is the nature of this disturbance?"

The guard listened briefly into his headset before announcing, "It seems to be Lars Alexandersson and an unidentified pink haired girl. Shall we mobilize the Tekken Force to dispose of them?"

Jin smirked. He hadn't expected Lars to arrive until at least the next morning, but this would work out fine too.

"Yes, you may mobilize epsilon and gamma teams," Jin spoke evenly, "I believe that Lars may be trying to make his way to the main throne room so inform the team leaders of that."

"Yes, sir," the guard bowed lowly again before turning to leave and giving the order.

As the guard left, Lei-Fang approached Jin cautiously, "What's going on?"

He turned abruptly, for a moment forgetting that she was even present. "You can't be here anymore," he murmured, looking around for something. Before Lei-Fang could even question it, Jin had called over another guard.

"Please lock her up in one of the cells," Jin ordered, flicking his wrist in her direction.

Sensing that something was very wrong, Lei-Fang began to protest his decision. "Wait, Jin…. No! What are you doing?" she pleaded with him, struggling in the guard's grip, "You can't just lock me away!"

He turned to face her, his face once again devoid of all emotions and his eyes cold and calculating, "Don't make this any harder than it already is. If you cooperate, I promise that you will be safe."

She struggled some more, using extra force to overpower the guard and run into Jin, her hands grasping onto his chest and pulling on his t-shirt.

"Jin, let me help you, please! You don't have to go down this path. You've shown me that you're still capable of love. The last few hours that we spent together has proven that," she begged him.

When she felt his hand gently touch her back, she began to relax, thinking that she had finally convinced him of the error in his ways, but she made the mistake of letting her guard down and before she knew it, Jin had successfully karate chopped her in the back of the neck, rendering her unconscious. Her body slumped forward and Jin caught her easily. He signaled to the guard and handed her limp body to him wanting him to continue with his given task. The guard carefully took hold of her and left, leaving Jin in Hon Maru alone.

He walked over to the spread of blankets that were haphazardly strewn on the ground and shook his head. He allowed a moment of weakness to sneak up on him and he had inadvertently showed Lei-Fang a tender side that he had long forgotten. Now, more than ever, Jin would have to harden himself because the time was almost near and he couldn't afford any slip ups in his plan.

When he initially invited Lei-Fang to the dojo, he had actually done it under guile. Locking Lei-Fang away would help him with the objective since she won't be in danger and she won't tempt him from straying from his chosen path. He intended to keep her safely isolated in one of the cells beneath the dojo as his plans enter their final stage, but deep down, guilt got the better of him. Jin had always been a gentle soul and, despite repeated betrayals and the darkness of the Devil Gene tainting his being, he could never forget his mother's teachings. In some ways, he believed that Jun Kazama still guided his steps, and that possibly, she had a hand in his drive of ridding himself of the accursed gene.

He sighed in defeat, kicking the sheets away, "I said that I wouldn't allow you to take control of me. I promised myself that I would remain in control of my own destiny, but you knew. You knew the entire time and that's why you had this happen. I did not intend to fall prey to the same forces as mother and Kazuya, but you blindsided me. This unholy union should never have happened."

As tormented as he felt about succumbing to Lei-Fang, Jin held no ill will towards her. In fact, it was because he cared for her that he sent her away. He only hoped that in the end, this would prove to be the right thing to do.

After taking a moment of quiet reflection, Jin left the dojo in order to prepare for his inevitable meeting with the rebel leader, Lars. Once he finished dressing in his suit, he entered the throne room at the top of the compound to see that it was still relatively undisturbed; it appeared as if Lars had yet to make it to the elevator. As a precaution, Jin deployed the Mishima Zaibatsu's prototype robot, Nancy MI847J to stall Lars once he reached the elevator. Although the robot had yet to be involved in actual combat, it performed very well in the rigorous trials that the lead scientists put it through. Deep down, he knew that Lars would be able to defeat the robot, since he was more than familiar with the rebel leader's fighting prowess. At the end of it all, Nancy would only prove to be a nuisance, but would provide enough time for Jin to regain his composure and face Lars properly.

Jin sighed as he paced the floor, deep in thought. He didn't anticipate his feelings for Lei-Fang to bother him so much at such a critical point in time.

"If only I hadn't gone to her," he mumbled to himself, running his hands through his hair.

No matter how much he mulled it over, he couldn't even find a plausible excuse as to why he even went to her hotel that evening. He could have easily sent one of his men to ambush her; there was no reason for him to go there himself. Why had he given into a moment of weakness? Jin groaned in frustration.

"It was fated to be," he concluded softly.

As the words left his lips, he felt a slight flare of power rise inside of him; the Devil Gene made its presence known, confirming what he had said aloud. There was nothing else that could be done.

He soon received a notification that Lars and Alisa had defeated Nancy and were now on route to the throne room. Unconcerned, Jin took his seat and closed his eyes in quiet contemplation. Unbeknownst to everyone, he had a trump card which was now ready to be put in play. It turns out that Lars had walked directly into a trap, one that would cost him dearly. It was with this overwhelming sense of self-confidence that Jin faced the rebel leader reclaiming Alisa, Lars' trusted travel companion, as his personal bodyguard thereby reinstating her intended programming.


	4. Chapter 4

*Devil Released*

AN: Sorry for the long time between uploads. A lot has changed in my personal life which means even less time for hobbies. However, I'm determined to at least post the rest of this story, no matter what. Enjoy!

Lei-Fang awoke from her unconscious state with a start. She had let her guard down around Jin and it had cost her severely. She scowled as she tried to gather her bearings and study her surroundings. Jin had her locked away in what appeared to be a jail cell. She sighed in exasperation; apparently this was his way of keeping her safe.

Lei-Fang sat sullenly in her cell. What had she done wrong? For a short moment, it seemed like she was getting through to him. He genuinely seemed ready to change his ways and come back to her. He had finally let his guard down and for that brief moment, he was the man that she had fallen in love with again.

"It was probably all just a trap. I wish I could blame his Devil Gene on this one, but now I'm completely unsure," she muttered as she stared out into the dimly lit hall.

She couldn't help but wonder what he meant about things not being as they seem. He spoke ominously about some type of event that may happen soon, but, as usual, Jin remained very tight-lipped about the specific details. What could possibly be a bigger threat than Kazuya and G Corporation, the projected saviors of the nations that Jin conquered?

Just then, she noticed a faint shadow across the wall. She immediately scrambled to her feet and peered through the bars, trying to get a closer look. The person paused, seemingly unsure of their whereabouts, before moving again, this time heading her way.

Unsure of whether or not the person was friend or foe, Lei-Fang weighed her options. It's not as if she wouldn't be able to handle herself if things went astray and most importantly, she refused to stay locked in this prison.

Taking a chance, Lei-Fang decided to call out to the stranger, "Hey, hey! Come over here!"

The form paused upon hearing her voice. For a while, there was only silence before a distinctly male voice called back to her, "Who are you?"

Lei-Fang excitedly realized that this man might not be a Mishima Zaibatsu employee and immediately beckoned him closer, "My name is Lei-Fang. Please, could you help me get out of here?"

Once again, there was no answer, but Lei-Fang could faintly make out the light footsteps of the man as he cautiously approached the cell. Despite having a slight Japanese look to him, the man had curiously spiky dirty blonde hair. He wore a dark blue button down top with a large collar and white design, white pants, brown shoes, and red gloves. He seemed familiar, yet different all at the same time. Lei-Fang couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that there was something particularly special about this man; however, now was not the time to contemplate such things as he was her only way out of this predicament.

The man seemed to hesitate as he came closer to the holding cell, not really sure whether or not to trust her. Although it wasn't necessarily her fault for being put in this situation, Lei-Fang did understand that it did seem like she was some type of threat if she had to be locked away.

"Please help me. I don't mean you any harm. I just want to get out of here," she implored him, trying her best to convince him that she didn't do anything wrong, "I've been wrongly imprisoned. Please, I need to get out."

"Stand back," he returned as she backed away from the door. His fist sparkled with a blue lightning that arced across his fingertips. He pulled it back and thrust it into the door which flew back into the wall, barely missing Lei-Fang.

"Thank-you, so much!" Lei-Fang ran up to the strange man and hugged him briefly, "For a moment I thought it was going to be all over for me!"

The man gave a simple nod, "No problem. We should get out of here though. The name is Lars Alexandersson, by the way."

The two formed an unlikely alliance, born out of necessity more than ideology. Lars was the leader of a rebel Tekken Force squadron that intended to put a stop to Jin's evil ways by any means necessary. Lei-Fang, on the other hand, hoped that she could reason with her husband and somehow convince him to change his ways. However, after losing his former partner, Alisa, to Jin's creative genius, Lars was desperate for any kind of help he could get. Lei-Fang's sudden appearance at the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters was more than just a godsend to him. But, there was one small caveat.

"So, let me get this straight", Lei-Fang began, "You want me to work with you to take down my husband? He's not in the right state of mind at this moment. I'm certain about that; all we have to do is prove to him the error of his ways and he'll come around."

Lars sighed and shook his head exasperatedly. He knew that he needed her help, but he didn't expect to find that she had a significant connection with the corrupt young leader. "I'm sorry that Jin has hurt you, but the effects of his actions are felt all over the world. People have lost their lives because of him," Lars said, choosing his words carefully enough to make her understand, "I know that you don't want any harm to come his way, but there really is no other option. It's either we stop him now or the world will be destroyed, it's your call."

Lei-Fang only stared at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his statement. After some thought she finally spoke, "I promise that I will help you stop Jin from terrorizing the world, but only if you promise not to kill him."

"Okay, I promise," Lars said to her, knowing deep down that things may not turn out exactly as she would like them to, "In the meantime, let's get out of here. There are still some loose ends that need tidying up."

The time that Lars and Lei-Fang have spent driving around in his SUV almost seemed therapeutic to the two of them. Despite having lost Alisa to Jin's cunning, Lei-Fang had proven to be just as useful due to her closeness with Jin, even if her relationship with him caused her to be just a bit of a liability. Lei-Fang, on the other hand, found an easy camaraderie with Lars. She felt unusually comfortable and she found it easy to open up to him. As a result, Lars felt compelled to be honest with her as well, considering that she was now a part of his family.

However, while Lei-Fang could easily accept that Heihachi is Lars' father, Lars just couldn't fathom that someone who seemed as selfish, callous, and calculating as Jin would willingly have a wife and child. Throughout his tenure as one of the top Tekken Force officers, Lars worked closely with Jin to coordinate their strategies and methods for attack. Jin had maintained a strictly professional relationship with the rebel leader and therefore had never spoken about his family life.

"How did you and Jin meet?" Lars asked.

"We met through my sister, Ling Xiaoyu. Heihachi had decided to become her sponsor in Japan and he allowed her to live in the Mishima mansion. Jin had already been there for the past four years due to his mother's death. Anyway, I was in between tournaments, myself, and I wanted to pay Xiaoyu a visit while she was participating in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3."

Lei-Fang smiled at the memories, back when everything was so carefree and normal. She, herself, was a budding star in the fighting tournament world and was ecstatic when she found out that her sister, Xiaoyu, would be following in her footsteps. Little did the Chinese girls know that what seemed like a simple martial arts tournament would mark the beginning of their struggle with the Mishima clan.

"Jin was always really quiet, even with Xiaoyu, but I felt like I pulled him out of his shell a bit. Just as we were beginning to get closer, Heihachi betrayed him and he took off for Australia for 2 years. He came back a completely different person and I was really afraid that I had lost him for good. Surprisingly, he responded well to me. I think I was the only person that he allowed in."

"And your sister?" Lars asked.

Lei-Fang sighed, "He cared for her as well, but in a different way, of course. At that point, I knew all of his inner secrets and demons, his immense hatred for the Mishimas, the growing evil inside of him. Jin didn't want to corrupt Xiaoyu with that knowledge; she already felt responsible enough for him as is. She always believed in Jin's inherent goodness, as did I."

She was careful at this point, not wanting to spill too many of Jin's personal business concerning the Devil Gene and its connection to his lineage. Considering that Lars had not grown around the Mishima clan, Lei-Fang was unsure just how much he truly knew about his bloodline or whether or not he had been tainted by the corruption within it. So far, he seemed different than Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi, but she was convinced that she couldn't let her guard down around these Mishima men, especially after the stunt that Jin pulled.

Lars nodded his head, although he couldn't quite agree with Lei-Fang's assessment, but she wouldn't make that known. Instead, to change the topic he asked, "When did you two get married?"

"Before the 4th tournament. Things weren't as complicated as they are now. Jin wanted revenge on Heihachi and Kazuya for all the evil that they have done; he wanted them dead. He went through a tough time, a time of self-hatred; it was a painful thing to witness, but I managed to help him through it. I taught him that he could be the maker of his own destiny. He didn't have to allow the evil that had consumed his father and grandfather to affect him. He could fight it. He didn't have to kill and become like the Mishimas. Honestly, he believed in me for a while. It was during this time period that we married one another."

Lei-Fang smiled as the memories of their wedding day floated into her mind's eye. The two went to a shrine to offer up prayers to their ancestors, asking for their blessings towards their union. Afterwards, they headed to register their marriage in the city registry. Finally, the newlywed couple joined Xiaoyu, for a celebratory dinner filled with joy and laughter. It was the happiest that they both had seen Jin in a long time. It was blissful.

Lars remained quiet, sensing that Lei-Fang had more to say. In all honesty, he would rather her speak about her past since it avoided the issue of his own story.

"Everything went well for several days after that. Jin fought in the tournament when scheduled and succeeded. Then, one day, he was informed that he had a match scheduled with his father, Kazuya. Jin never made it to the fight and was disqualified," she swallowed thickly as the frightening memory that something serious had happened to her husband creeped back into her thoughts, "I later found out that he had been ambushed by Tekken Force soldiers sent by Heihachi and brought to Hon Maru and held captive. Heihachi had intended to lure Kazuya into a trap."

"These Mishimas sound like bad news to me," Lars muttered, secretly thankful that his own mother had the sense to keep him away, though he now questioned the circumstances of his conception, starting to believe that his mother's vague answers as to the whereabouts of his father and their past relationship were all in an effort to hide something more sinister.

"Trust me, they are," Lei-Fang said with a sigh, "They're not people you want to be caught up with at all."

With that, she rested her head against her seat and closed her eyes. Forcing her mind to remember the past only served to make the reality more real and the pain that much harder to bear.

"So... you and Jin have a son?" Lars asked to break the silence.

Lei-Fang nodded, smiling sadly, "His name's Toshiro and he's just over a year old. I guess I hoped that by having Toshiro, Jin would have some hope for his future. I thought that maybe I could show him that he's different than his father and grandfather."

"I hope you weren't trying to trap him..." Lars said, glancing at Lei-Fang skeptically. She didn't strike him as that type of woman, but one could never be so sure. It didn't make any sense to him that Jin would willingly want a child, considering that he was such a tormented soul to begin with.

"What? Absolutely not!" she exclaimed resolutely, shooting him an incredulous look, "Jin and I both wanted Toshiro. We love him very much. He's all I have right now."

Lars nodded thoughtfully, absorbing her words. Heihachi hadn't been a part of his life at all and he was perfectly fine with it. Meeting the man did not prove to be an earth shattering experience and he felt that he could have perfectly lived his life without having ever met him. Toshiro was still young, so he reasoned that he wouldn't remember his own father very much anyway when the time came for Jin to be eliminated. Knowing now that Jin had a son, changed Lars's perspective on the mission, but he knew, inevitably, what had to be done.

It still perplexed him that Jin, knowing that he has a young son and a wife waiting for him, would even attempt to do such horrible atrocities to the world. How could someone be so selfish? Was the drive for power that strong within the Mishima clan? Lars gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, jerking it in the direction of the turn, causing Lei-Fang to lose her balance a bit. He muttered a quick apology to her before regaining his focus and easing up on the wheel.

They soon arrived at their destination, a small village of people who seemed perturbed by the unexpected guests. Lars and Lei-Fang were greeted with snide looks, distrustful glances, and repressed hostility, but they knew that they would have to bear this intense scrutiny in order to meet with the astrologist.

Following the instructions from his cell phone, Lars led the pair to a small home close to the outskirts of the town. A woman stood by the front entrance, with her arms crossed, eyeing the two up and down.

"I've been waiting for you two," the woman had a slight Middle Eastern accent, "Please excuse my people's reactions, but you must understand that they are weary of outsiders, especially after the Mishima Zaibatsu raided our village."

The woman's eyes settled on Lei-Fang's at this point and she could have sworn that there was a slight look of disdain in them. Before Lei-Fang could question the mysterious woman, she spoke again.

"My name is Zafina. I have been following the movements of the Mishima clan for some time now and I believe that their actions will cause the destruction of our world. They must be stopped by any means possible. Those two 'evil stars' must never meet to assure the continuance of this world."

Lars stepped forward, "I completely agree with you and we're here for the same purpose. What can you tell us about this prophecy? How can we stop it?"

Zafina's eyes drifted from Lars' back to Lei-Fang's.

"Come inside."

She led Lars and Lei-Fang into a candle lit room. She sat down on a cushion and gestured for the two to follow suit.

"Have you heard of a creature called Azazel?"

Lars nodded his head, "Yes. I'm guessing that Azazel is related to the Mishimas somehow."

"Precisely," Zafina answered coolly, "Azazel is known as the rectifier. He is the ultimate personification of evil that is fabled to be awakened by the meeting of two evil stars. My studies have shown that these stars represent Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama. With all the chaos in this world, I'm afraid that it is now too late and Azazel's awakening is inevitable."

Lars gritted his teeth, realizing that he has just committed himself to a battle of astronomical proportions.

"And how can we defeat this beast?"

The woman smiled, but it was not one of amusement, "Azazel is powerful and will not easily be beaten. He possesses something known as the Devil Gene. I believe you're very familiar with its effects."

Her eyes shifted to Lei-Fang's when she spoke that last line. Suddenly feeling her face grow hot from Zafina's intense scrutiny, Lei-Fang turned away, eager to be done with this judgmental woman.

"I will direct you to the location of the being, Azazel. Once you destroy him, Jin Kazama will not be able to harness the being's powers for evil."

"How are you so sure that he wants the being's powers for evil purposes? You don't know anything about Jin!" Lei-Fang interjected, becoming frustrated at the woman's sideways glances.

"And do you know his heart as well? If so, you should look within yourself and question your own motives," the astrologist snapped at her, "Forget your own selfish reasons when the world is at stake."

"How is it selfish to believe in the inherent goodness in a person? I know Jin better than the both of you and I've seen the goodness in him. Wouldn't you agree that everyone has the capacity for good? What if Jin is going to destroy this monster?"

"Mrs. Kazama, correct?" Zafina spoke calmly and evenly, "Do not allow your heart to cloud your judgment. You do not know the things that I have seen and I am warning you that this situation is much bigger than you could ever imagine. My task is to prevent the two evil stars from meeting and I intend to do it by any means necessary. If you choose to stand between me and my objective then you will have to answer to me."

The Chinese woman was about to deliver a hasty retort when Lars placed a hand on Lei's shoulder and squeezed it, "Please, Lei-Fang, calm down for a moment. We'll still find a way to save him."

He knew deep down that he had only said it to placate her. If it really came down to it, he would take Jin out himself. There's no place in the world for any more megalomaniacs; Heihachi and Kazuya are bad enough as is.

Zafina gave him a knowing nod and continued, "I will provide you a map which will contain the directions you will need to find Azazel's temple. His lair is deep within the temple. I have faith in you, Lars Alexandersson. Once you find and defeat him, hopefully the threat will be neutralized."

The rebel army leader took the scroll from the woman and thanked her graciously.

"We won't leave until the job is done. Thank you for your help."

Zafina simply nodded and turned away from the two, leaving them to see themselves out.


	5. Chapter 5

*Devil Released*

AN: We're actually getting close to the end! A quick note about this chapter: a lot of it is word for word from Tekken 6's Scenario Campaign cut-scene between Jin and Lars. That was done intentionally because I really felt that scene was powerful. Of course since Lei-Fang is present, I do manage to include her in the conversation. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

The two walked into the temple not really knowing what to expect. Lars claimed that the source of all of this mayhem lived here, but Lei-Fang could not understand what he meant by that. He remained tight lipped about this Azazel that Zafina spoke of in conjunction with Jin and his search for power. Could this really by why Jin is acting the way that he is? Why would he need more power when he is desperately trying to rid himself of the Devil Gene? It all wasn't making any sense to her.

As Lars and Lei-Fang explored the temple ruins, they fell into a silence born mostly out of necessity than comfort. They had already encountered some precarious situations and were now on edge. They were virtually venturing deeper into the unknown, looking for a great source of power that, if left alone, could lead to the end of the world as they knew it. It was a desperate race against time; it was imperative that they reached Azazel's lair before Jin did, even if Lei-Fang still believed deep down that Jin would never try to harness such power for himself and only wanted to put a stop to it.

However, it soon became clear that she and Lars weren't the only ones searching for Azazel. When they encountered Kazuya along with several G Corporation soldiers, she thought that she finally understood.

"Well, it's quite a pleasure to see you, Lei-Fang." Kazuya said with a grin, "This reunion has been too long."

"I wish I could return the sentiment, Kazuya, but we're pretty busy here and we don't have time for your foolish games." Lei-Fang retorted.

"On the contrary, I think you do want to hear what I have to say," he continued, "Just beyond this room lies a being with immense power."

"Have you encountered it?" Lars asked curiously.

Kazuya smirked, "I don't have to see it to know it is there. I can feel it. Its power will soon be mine."

"I can't let you do that, brother" Lars said with a slight smile. He didn't intend to have a close relationship with his newly found brother, but he figured it would get under Kazuya's skin.

The older man frowned, his face twisting as if a sour taste had entered his mouth, "That old bastard will lie down with anything with legs. No matter. Get out of my way or face the consequences."

"Don't you ever learn?" Lei-Fang said with a sigh as she adopted her T'ai Chi Quan stance.

Lars soon followed suit, "If we have to get through you, first, then so be it."

Lei-Fang primarily fought the G Corp agents while Lars handled Kazuya. When she had disposed of them, she turned to Kazuya and shouted.

"You're outnumbered, Kazuya. Just give up now!"

He caught Lars's arm and managed to pin him to the ground. The rebel leader struggled against his half-brother's hold, but to no avail.

"You're no match for me, little girl. Go home and be a mother to that little bastard. You think that you're so self-righteous? That boy has Mishima blood running through his veins; fighting is in his blood. The thirst for power will need to be quenched one day," Kazuya proclaimed with a proud grin, "Instead of wasting your time here chasing after that idiot, Jin, go home and prepare Toshiro for the inevitable encounter he will have with us."

Lei-Fang gritted her teeth, "Don't you dare talk about my son, Kazuya. You know nothing!"

"I know that you and Jin were foolish to believe that you could destroy the Mishima bloodline," he remarked snidely, "Or did Toshiro make you two forget that idealistic goal?"

Lei-Fang stared angrily at Kazuya. He had no right to say such things. While it is true that she and Jin had been mostly unprepared for Toshiro's arrival, they have made the best of it all and have loved him unconditionally from the moment he was born. Jin struggled with it at first and had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he had contributed to the bloodline, but Lei-Fang convinced him that there could still be hope for their son. There could still be a chance that little Toshiro would not become corrupted by the Mishimas' lust for power.

She felt her blood boiling and before she knew it, she was running towards him, letting out a blood curling scream. Kazuya easily dodged her punch, but was struck by the following kick and as a result, let go of Lars who quickly sprang to his feet. With the two of them ready to fight, Kazuya had to be on his guard.

Lei-Fang rushed into a flurry of punches and kicks which she finished with a low, split kick to Kazuya's shin, knocking him off balance. Lars took this moment to jump over Lei-Fang, performing a spinning kick straight to Kazuya's chest, effectively knocking him into a pillar. Before he could regain his composure, Lars delivered a final set of punches which resulted in the pillar breaking and falling on top of Kazuya.

It took a moment for the two to realize that the G Corporation leader would not be getting up and the two finally relaxed somewhat.

"Thanks for having my back, Lei-Fang," Lars said, giving her a pat on the shoulder, "There's not much time. Let's get this over with."

"Right," she nodded and followed him towards the door leading to Azazel's lair.

Once the pair entered, they were greeted by a cavernous room with an eerie, otherworldly glow of blues and purples. There were strange hieroglyphic markings on the walls and torches of blue flames all around the room. There was also a large altar in the center of the room. Just as Lars was going to investigate it, Lei-Fang called out, "Um… it seems we have some company here, Lars."

He turned just in time to notice gargoyle like creatures approaching them. He didn't even hear these things approach; it almost seemed like they appeared from thin air.

Not one for interruptions, Lars wanted to dispose of these guys quickly in order to find Azazel and complete the mission at hand.

"You know what to do," he said with gritted teeth.

Lei-Fang nodded, already taking up an offensive stance.

Lars was the first to attack the creatures, throwing out a lightning filled punch followed by a spinning kick. Following his lead, Lei-Fang used her most powerful attacks to repel the gang of gargoyles that surrounded them.

The two seemed to fair well until a mighty roar erupted from the altar and out crawled a gigantic, demon which resembled an Egyptian bird god. The creature stood proudly, even commanding respect from the lowly gargoyles, which now ignored Lars and Lei-Fang in favor of revering what could be considered their master.

"I am Azazel, the god of destruction. Who dares to enter my inner sanctum?"

"Your worst nightmare," Lars responded cockily

The beast scoffed, looking down at Lars and Lei-Fang.

"Foolish humans. Many have ventured into this layer in hopes of gaining immeasurable powers, but none have ever succeeded. What makes you any different?"

Lars answered, "We're not here for any kind of power. We're here to defeat you once and for all."

A thunderous laugh shook the inner sanctum as Azazel looked on, almost amusedly at the two, "Mere mortals have no power over me. Prepare for your demise, humans!"

He stepped forward, clearly towering over Lars and Lei-Fang. She stole a glance at Lars, hoping that he was sure about what he was about to do, but the look of steely determination on his face was all the answer she needed.

"I'll handle him," Lars muttered, turning slightly to Lei-Fang, "Just keep those other guys off my back."

"Got it," she confirmed as she once again fell into her fighting stance alongside Lars.

The battle for the sake of humanity was about to begin.

The fight itself was arduous, but somehow, Lars managed to persevere. Just when things began to look bleak, he seemingly unleashed a massive amount of power, blue lightning bolts crackled around his fists, supercharging his attacks. Azazel laid $e old temple intact. Now that he was dead, there was nothing keeping it together and will soon collapse around them.

"We have to get out of here!" Lars exclaimed, waving his hand frantically for Lei-Fang to follow him.

Fortunately the two made it out just in time before the foundation of the door crumbled around them, effectively blocking the entrance back into the inner sanctum, which, ironically, would now be considered Azazel's tomb, his final resting place.

"Come on, we have to keep going!" Lars yelled out to her.

After watching Lars take on the monster, Azazel, Lei-Fang was definitely convinced that this man was of the Mishima lineage. His incredible strength and almost flawless execution of attacks confirmed this fact for her. However, he was nothing like them. He was compassionate and understanding; she sincerely hoped that his unique disposition would stay that way and not become clouded by evil like Jin's had.

"Look out!" Lei-Fang turned just in time to be pushed away from a tumbling pillar. Lars extended his hand and quickly pulled her up, "You have to keep your mind on the here and now. Worry about getting out of here alive before you think about saving him."

She nodded, knowing that he spoke the truth. The two came across several G Corporation soldiers as they were escaping the crumbling temple, but they both made quick work of the troops and continued on their way. There seemed to be no sign of Kazuya; the two could only assume that he escaped relatively unharmed. Soon, they reached the end of the temple and ran on, successfully exited, leaving the newly formed ruins behind them.

Lei-Fang barely got a chance to catch her breath when she saw Lars approaching two figures, one male and one female. She shielded her eyes from the bright sun and followed behind him. As she got closer she made out the figures to be Jin and Alisa, the robot girl that had been travelling with Lars until Jin had turned her against him. The girl looked mostly harmless with cotton candy colored hair and emerald green eyes. Lei-Fang was surprised to find herself more afraid of Jin. His face was devoid of any real emotion; he stood so firm and powerful, yet there seemed to be an aura of calm over him. As Lars and Lei-Fang got closer to the two, Jin slightly turned to acknowledge their presence. His eyes lingered over Lei-Fang for a little, but then soon drifted back to Lars.

"Lei-Fang, stay back and let me handle this," Lars said as he adopted his fighting stance.

Knowing what could possibly come of this, she ran in front of him, shielding him from harming her husband.

"I know that Jin has done terrible things, but he's still my husband and I love him. I can't allow you to hurt him," she said sternly to the rebel leader, "There's nothing left for him to do. The temple is no more. Just leave him alone!"

Lars clenched his fists tighter and dug his foot in front of him, readying himself to launch an attack, "I won't tell you again, move now, or suffer the consequences along with him."

Lei-Fang stared defiantly back at him; her mind was made up and she would protect Jin, even if it brought about her eventual downfall.

Just then, Jin spoke up unexpectedly, "You should do what he says; I won't have any qualms with disposing of the both of you."

Shocked, Lei-Fang slowly turned to face him and was stunned to see him adopting the Mishima fighting stance.

"Jin…" she whispered, "What happened to you?"

"My eyes have been opened to the truth," he simply replied, "I will only say this one more time. Move aside or face the consequences."

She stood there with her arms out, her mouth set to a scowl, challenging him to make his move.

When he realized that Lei-Fang wasn't moving anywhere, he turned to Alisa and stated, "Enter attack mode."

"Understood. Entering attack mode. Targets acquired: Lars Alexandersson and Lei-Fang Kazama." The pink haired robot's friendly green eyes suddenly changed into a shocking crimson red as she began to charge towards Lei-Fang.

Before Lei-Fang could make a move, she was pushed back by Alisa, allowing for Lars and Jin to commence their battle.

Lars and Jin were meeting each other blow for blow, their fists glowing with blue and red lightning respectively. Beginning to get frustrated, Jin performed his Power Stance just as Lars was about to strike him and effectively pushed him back due to the static charge. His fists were bathed in a red light and that same grin appeared across his lips as he slowly approached Lars.

"Don't underestimate me. You have yet to feel my full power."

With those words, Jin launched into a combo of attacks that seemed to flow effortlessly into one another. Lars tried to block the relentless onslaught, but it soon reached the point that he could no longer block and Jin was able to land a clear punch across his face and a swift kick to the chest. Lars did not even have a moment to regain his breath as Jin continued his barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile, Lei-Fang had her hands full with Alisa. The pink haired girl moved swiftly, charging Lei-Fang with her best attacks. The T'ai Chi Quan genius managed to hold her own and was even able to counter some moves with powerful attacks of her own, but it just seemed like she couldn't find Alisa's weak spot. Lei-Fang managed to hit Alisa with two successive spin kicks and just as she was about to go for the third, Alisa side stepped and delivered a bunch of kicks of her own, hitting Lei-Fang square in the chest.

At this point, Lars and Lei-Fang were both tangled up with Jin and Alisa respectively. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, several Tekken Force soldiers appeared and ran to Jin's aid, immediately setting their sights on Lars and Lei-Fang.

The two had their hands completely full with Jin, Alisa, and the Tekken Force; neither side would relent. Just when it was beginning to look particularly bad for Lars and Lei-Fang, they were taken aback when a man seemingly dropped from the sky and landed in the midst of the battle, a dust of wind blowing everyone back. When the dust cleared, the man was standing in a fighting stance with a look of determination etched across his face.

"That's some nice timing you have, Raven. We could use your help!" Lars shouted out to the man with a smile.

Raven regarded Lars and Lei-Fang with a slight nod before turning his sights to Jin, "This is the end of the line, Jin. Just surrender quietly and no one will get hurt."

Jin scoffed, a sardonic grin spreading across his lips. "If only that were true. The end is coming, that is correct, but you are not the cause for it."

Ignoring his cryptic language, Raven charged after Jin with successive punches and kicks characteristic of his ninjutsu style. Jin seemed to evade them, but he didn't expect Lars' roundhouse kick to the chest that followed. Jin stumbled back and was taken off guard by a sudden barrage of attacks from Lars.

Seeing her charge under attack, Alisa's sights shifted from Lei-Fang to the two men that were beginning to pummel the young leader. Taking advantage of this slight lapse in her judgment, Lei-Fang delivered a powerful blow to the girl, shoving her palms into her chest.

"Your battle is with me," Lei-Fang said, adopting a defensive stance.

Alisa acknowledged the Chinese girl while bearing her chainsaws which were built into her arms.

"Here I come!"

Alisa charged at Lei-Fang, her boosters propelling her faster than normal.

Lei-Fang just barely dodged the pink-haired girl's advances. Alisa reacted quickly and delivered a spin kick to Lei-Fang's temple which caused her to stumble back a few feet. Before she knew what hit her, Alisa performed a low sweep which caused Lei to land flat on her butt. Always quick on her feet, she rolled away before Alisa could attack.

Realizing Alisa's strategy, Lei-Fang waited for Alisa to charge at her again. When she did, Lei-Fang was ready for her. She caught the robo-girl and flipped her over her shoulder and landed a solid punch in the girl's chest once she was down on the ground, effectively stunning the robot. Before Lei-Fang could continue her assault, Alisa had rolled onto her feet and was preparing for another attack.

This time Lei-Fang side-stepped her and grabbed her from the side. She thrust her elbow up into Alisa's chin, smashing it with the sheer force of the blow, before raising a fist to her face. As a result, Alisa's head spun rapidly, not only disorienting the robot, but creating a much needed opening for Lei-Fang. The Chinese girl jumped up, performing a spin kick which propelled Alisa into the stone wall, causing some of it to tumble over her.

With Alisa defeated, she turned her attentions to the Tekken Force soldiers that were engaging Raven and Lars, giving Jin some much needed breathing room. Lei-Fang jumped into action, performing a jump kick to the side of one's head, causing him to stagger back in shock. Another attempted to attack her from behind, but she quickly thrusted her elbow in his rib cage, a sickening crack confirming that she hit her target.

Meanwhile, Raven quickly disposed of the group of soldiers that were surrounding him and looked towards Lars to see him manhandling a soldier. Jin had seemingly disappeared from the fray, taking this opportunity to recuperate from his intense battle. Raven clenched his teeth in frustration, realizing that if he is given the time to heal, he'll be stronger than before.

"Keep your eyes peeled for Jin!" Raven roared over the sounds of battle, "You have to keep on him! Don't let him out of your sights!"

Both Lars and Lei-Fang looked up from their respective fights, nodding in confirmation. The three took down the remaining Tekken Force operatives and were beginning to look for Jin when he suddenly reappeared, his fists glowing red.

"Guys, look out!" Lei-Fang shouted and pointed towards where her husband stood.

Immediately, Raven and Lars went on the offensive, engaging Jin in a heated battle.

Before she joined in the fight, Lei-Fang paused momentarily, eyeing the fallen rubble where Alisa had landed, still expecting her to emerge. As the seconds passed and there was little movement, this became less and less likely and she began to relax. Remembering that she was once Lars' ally, she approached the pile of rocks and began to dig the robot girl out.

Alisa seemed to have taken a good amount of damage from the fight and the rocks and was functioning below her base energy level. Her eyes had switched back to green, indicating that she was once again friendly.

"I'm sorry, Lei-Fang," the pink haired girl said weakly, "I had no control over my actions."

"It's ok, Alisa, I understand. Just hang on, alright?" Lei-Fang returned, turning towards the battle with Lars, Raven, and Jin.

Raven and Lars were having better luck attacking Jin now that it was the two of them, but amazingly, Jin was still able to hold his own, a testament of his amazing fighting prowess.

"Alisa, I have to—", Lei-Fang began but was interrupted.

"No, please stay here," she responded, "I don't have much time. Please, tell Lars thank you… for everything, for being… my friend."

Alisa managed to smile somewhat. She reached an arm up weakly, hoping to clasp Lei-Fang's hand. The Chinese girl reached out to grab her, but was too late. The robot girl's arm fell limply to the ground followed by the voiced command, "Full system shutdown."

Another casualty in Jin's crusade against humanity.

Meanwhile, with Raven's help, Lars managed to defeat Jin who was struggling to get back on his feet after a powerful blow to the chest.

By this time, Lei-Fang had rejoined them and had notified Lars about Alisa. The blonde haired man did well to hide his concern for his pink haired travel companion, but Lei-Fang could tell just by looking in his eye that there was something more there. He glanced over in the direction where Alisa's body was lying before turning his attention to Jin, hardening his resolve to finish what he intended to do.

"Lars, can you handle the rest? There's some unfinished business that I need to attend to," Raven said to the rebel leader.

The Swede nodded, a smile forming across his lips, "Thanks for your help."

With a nod towards him and Lei-Fang, Raven jumped up in the air, disappearing in a blink of the eye.

"You've been defeated, Jin Kazama. It's over," Lars said to the fallen leader.

Lei-Fang rushed to his side, reaching down to help him back up to his feet. Surprisingly, he still had a lot of strength left in him and he managed to get up on his own with little help. She found it even more surprising that he allowed her to do it and did not shove her away.

"And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you," Jin murmured as he stood up, "How true…"

"What do you mean by that?" Lars started.

Jin replied, "It was that woman… That was when I knew what the voice ringing in my head really was."

"You mean Zafina?" Lei-Fang asked, remembering the strange woman that she and Lars had come across along their journey towards the temple. She could still feel that woman's eyes lingering on her own and she shivered at the thought.

"Yes," the Mishima Zaibatsu leader returned, "But her story didn't add up. Azazel had already awoken in spirit because of Kazuya and me."

Lars was struck with a sense of realization, "So you're saying that his return was unavoidable?"

"Kazuya and I were the key to that happening," Jin simply replied.

Lars scoffed, "He seemed powerful enough to me."

Despite Lars putting him down easily, the being still put up a great fight. Also for someone who calls himself the "rectifier," why would he need to thrive off of mortal energy?

"Jin, you're not making any sense!" Lei-Fang exclaimed, becoming exasperated at her husband's roundabout way of saying things, "If you're going to explain yourself, please do it already. I really want to understand what's going on."

He regarded her with a simple nod before continuing, "When Azazel spoke to me in my mind he said filling the world with negative energy would give him physical form. That was the only way."

Lars felt himself growing angry at this admission. How could anyone willingly follow such orders and for what purpose?

"So you started a freaking war just to make it so you could fight him?" Lars said, as he struggled to keep his voice from rising too much.

"Yes," Jin's voice rang out slightly louder than he had intended, but it was enough to stop Lars from continuing and prevent Lei-Fang from chiming in. One look at her already proved that she was aching to add her opinion into the fray, but Jin would not have that right now. They both needed to listen.

Jin quietly continued, "I had no choice. I have the Devil Gene."

His gaze fell on Lei-Fang as those last few words left his lips; he knew that she understood his pain the most since she has had more experience with the effects of the Devil Gene. Unfortunately for him, her eyes were not reassuring, in fact they were not even condemning him. She, herself, had a clouded look over her as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He knew that hearing the full story may have slightly altered her previous opinion of him, but deep down, he had been hoping for her acceptance. Jin felt that he needed that from her more than ever.

"And you think that justifies all the things that you've done?" the rebel Tekken Force commander asked incredulously.

Instead of directly answering the question posed to him, Jin turned to Lars and replied, "Let me ask you a question. What have the governments, religions, and people of the world accomplished?"

"That's—"

Lars gritted his teeth in frustration; he knew exactly what Jin was doing and he did not want him to do it. He wanted Jin to take responsibility for his actions, to admit that what he did was wrong, not flip the script and place the blame on others.

Satisfied that he had Lars's attention, Jin continued, "Up until now, people have lived in fear of those with power, and were ruled by an iron fist. Who could possibly save such a twisted world?"

He waited patiently, looking from Lars to Lei-Fang for an answer. When each one of them turned their heads from his glance, he knew that they finally understood.

"I wanted the two of us to clash," he paused before finishing with, "And destroy each other. Then I could finally be free of this accursed blood in my veins and the world would be saved. But there could be only one chance."

Lei-Fang took notice to the softening of Jin's voice towards the end of his statement and she realized that coming to this conclusion had greatly pained him. She could already feel the hot tears threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment. At this point, she saw herself back in Yakushima with him, fighting over the exact same thing. Lei-Fang wanted to tell him that he was wrong; there's still another way that he just hasn't found yet, but she knew that he wouldn't buy it. His mind was already made up: Jin was ready to martyr himself for the sake of humanity.

It was with this in mind that Lei-Fang reached out to gently touch his arm. Jin turned to face her, acknowledging her briefly, before Lars interrupted the couple.

"Bad news then. I already took him out," Lars informed the young leader. Regardless of Jin's intentions to kill himself along with Azazel, in the long run, the demon god proved to be a bigger threat than Jin currently was.

Remembering that Azazel was already defeated, Lei-Fang let out a sigh of relief as she realized that his plan would not happen. There was still a chance for Jin to find another way to deal with his troublesome Devil Gene.

Jin sighed, turning his attention from Lei-Fang and back to Lars, "You understand nothing."

Lars stared warily at Jin, unsure of what he meant by that statement. Jin paid him little mind and soon focused his gaze at the entrance of Azazel's temple. Lei-Fang, too, followed her husband's gaze as did Lars.

Within a few moments, the earth around them began to shake, taking Lars and Lei-Fang by surprise. She clutched onto Jin's arm a little tighter, but the young leader showed no signs of being perturbed by the sudden rumbling below them. He stood firmly, anticipating whatever it was that had caused the disturbance.

Suddenly, the ground in front of the temple's steps burst open as a golden Azazel climbed forth from the chasm, letting out a mighty roar.

He appeared to be more powerful than before, his evil essence radiating upwards from his colossal body. Lars and Lei-Fang eyed each other uneasily as the realization that they have failed their mission washed over them. Despite Jin's revelations, the two were comforted by the fact that Azazel was defeated; there would be no opportunity for the creature to terrorize humanity. But now, even with Jin's supposed assertion that he could defeat the being with his Devil Gene, the two remained doubtful. Azazel's power had more than doubled. Zafina's prophecy of the destruction of the earth will likely come to pass.


	6. Chapter 6

p style="text-align: center;"span style="text-align: center;"*Devil Released*/span/p  
p style="text-align: left;" /p  
p style="text-align: left;"span style="text-align: center;"AN: Short and sweet and to the point. Only one more chapter left before the finale. Thank you to all those who are still reading. I really hope this story met expectations./span/p  
p style="text-align: left;" /p  
p style="text-align: left;""Impossible!" Lars exclaimed, clearly startled that the being had rose up from his ashes. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"Lei-Fang gasped; even she had been taken aback as she herself witnessed Lars's intense power over the demon. While she had been able to put down his minions that were threatening to intervene with Lars's battle, there was no way that she could handle Azazel, himself. Surprisingly, Lars had made the fight look easy. She assumed that if Jin and Lars team up, they could potentially have a fighting chance, despite the obvious disparity in power and strength between them and the demon. /p  
p style="text-align: left;""Good," Jin murmured to no one in particular, "I've been waiting for this."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"At this point, a thought suddenly hit Lei-Fang. With Azazel still alive, Jin's to sacrifice himself could still occur. As ironic as it was that Azazel referred to himself by the title of the "Rectifier," it completely fell into his plans. Jin's idea of making everything right was eliminating himself from the equation: he would take down Azazel and die alongside him./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Jin!" Lei-Fang frantically reached out to him, "You can't do this. Please! If not for me then do it for your son! Think about Toshiro!"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I already have Toshiro in mind," Jin spoke softly, almost lovingly. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"His sudden change of tone stunned her. Throughout this whole ordeal, Jin had remained emotionally distant, never offering her any type of affection. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"At this point, he turned to face her and he cupped her chin, tilting her head up to face him./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It's a shame. I had hoped that when this time would come that I would not show any signs of weakness. I did not anticipate having you here to witness this event, but what is done is done," he lightly caressed her cheek as he spoke, "Lei-Fang, I'm sorry that I could not be the man that you need and the father that Toshiro needs. I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Before she could speak, he leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against hers./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I love you," he whispered thickly before abruptly pulling away, leaving her gasping for breath and reaching out for him./p  
p style="text-align: left;"He turned his attention to the menacing being and began walking towards it, as if drawn in by an undeniable force. He walked quite idly, almost as if he was on a leisurely stroll along a road. Ironically enough for Jin, this final walk of his life would probably be the most pleasant./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I told you before. Only someone with the Devil Gene can defeat him," he spoke to Lars as he edged closer to the demon./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Azazel looked down at the man walking towards him, "I exist in a higher plane than your earthly laws. Now no one can stop me."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""No one…" Jin began, coming to a sudden halt, "Except me."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Azazel seemingly let out a snarl, "Fool! You will destroy yourself as well!"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Jin seemed unfazed by this admission, though both Lars and Lei-Fang visibly reacted. They both stiffened at the demon's words, which also served to confirm the validity of Jin's scheme. /p  
p style="text-align: left;""Let's put an end to this!" Jin proclaimed as a purple aura suddenly surrounded his hands./p  
p style="text-align: left;"He lifted them up, drawing in his power, before unleashing a dramatic show of strength, knocking Lei-Fang to the ground, putting Lars on guard, and even rattling Azazel./p  
p style="text-align: left;"After helping Lei-Fang back to her feet, Lars shouted out to Jin, "What are you doing?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Jin, please! Stop this!" Lei-Fang cried out to him, hoping that he would listen to her pleas. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ignoring the pair, Jin once again resumed his walking, surrounded by the purple aura. He remained calm, cool, and collected, his face a blank slate. Seeing his advance as a threat, Azazel began shooting out lasers from his eyes. They were easily deflected from him since the purple aura served as a barrier between Jin and the deadly attacks./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Suddenly, Jin let out a loud scream and he ran towards the monster. Azazel continued shooting lasers to try to deter him, but it was no use. They would not harm Jin and they seemed to only fuel his rage. /p  
p style="text-align: left;""No!" Lei-Fang shouted as she began to run after him. /p  
p style="text-align: left;""Stay back!" Lars reached out and wrapped his arms around her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"He was doing his best to hold onto Jin's struggling wife, but Lei-Fang proved to be stronger than she looked and she managed to slide away. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"Jin delivered a devastating punch to the monster, breaking his armored chest. The one attack was filled with all of his strength and will. The two plunged into the chasm from which Azazel came./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Jin!" Lars called out running after Lei-Fang. It all happened so quickly./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Lei-Fang reached the spot just as a blinding light shot up from the hole, pushing her back several feet and into the waiting arms of Lars who had come to her side./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Jin!" both of their cries echoed off the walls of the hole./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They waited for a moment, hoping that Jin would respond and climb back up from the hole relatively unscathed, but as each second passed, it became more and more apparent that it was not going to happen./p  
p style="text-align: left;"It was at this point that all of the fight left her and Lei-Fang succumbed to the overwhelming emotions that were building up inside of her. She fell to her knees beside the hole, her head bowing weakly/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Oh, Jin…WHY? Why did you do this?" she sobbed, her body visibly shaking, wracked with the loss of her husband./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Lars placed a hand on her shoulder, but could not find any words of solace to offer her. Instead he looked away. He couldn't bear to see this woman in pain because of such a selfish act. He and Jin had their differences when it came to running the Mishima Zaibatsu's Tekken Force, but Lars would never have wished this fate upon the young man, especially when he had a wife and child. Lars concluded that Jin must have been quite desperate if he was willing to forsake his family to be rid of this Devil Gene in his blood. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"From the short amount of time that he had spent around the Mishima clan, Lars was well aware of their cursed existence. They were a family forever at odds with one another; a family who had dabbled with the supernatural for ultimate power and was paying the price severely. He had to take a moment to thank his mother for keeping him away from his birth father, Heihachi. She knew exactly what she was doing when she opted to raise her child in Sweden instead of Japan. Lars could only imagine the life of strife that he would have if he were in constant contact with Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin. He soon was alerted to footsteps approaching from behind. He turned and noticed a seemingly calm Nina Williams walking up to the two./p  
p style="text-align: left;""You knew, didn't you?" Lars asked her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Her expressionless eyes spoke volumes already. Jin had opened up to her about his plans of committing suicide and Nina had done nothing to stop the troubled leader. /p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yes, but what's done is done. Jin put everything he had into this one moment."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Nina shrugged her shoulders, her eyes darting from Lei-Fang's crumpled form back to Lars, "It is not for me to judge whether he was right or wrong. Maybe you're such a saint, you think you can, but somehow, I doubt it." /p  
p style="text-align: left;"When this did not elicit a response from either of them, she went on./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Nina indicated towards Lei-Fang, "He did speak often about his family though. At first he was scared. He felt an obligation to his family to provide for them and to be there, but as time went on, he soon realized that he could not do that in the capacity that he would hope for with the Devil Gene still present. This was the only option left to him and if it meant that his soul could finally find peace, he was more than willing to take it."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""How could you?!" Lei-Fang suddenly turned around and spat out at Nina as the tears continued to flow, "How could you allow him to do this? Why didn't you stop him?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I was tasked with protecting Jin from danger due to others, not from danger due to himself," the blonde haired assassin simply answered, "I've fulfilled my duties."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Seeing that the job had indeed been done, Nina realized that she had completed her assignment. With nothing left tying her to the Mishima Zaibatsu, she turned and walked away towards a waiting helicopter which would whisk her away to whomever her next charge would be. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"It was at this point that Lars realized that both he and Lei-Fang would need to leave, too. There was nothing left for them here besides a lifetime of bad memories and nightmares. He knew that Lei-Fang would take some convincing, but it would be in both of their best interests to get out of here while things were relatively quiet. /p  
p style="text-align: left;"He lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, Lei, I'm going to take you home."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"To his surprise, she didn't fight him. Instead, she stood, shoulders down, head slumped, and walked off towards the direction of their vehicle. The fighting spirit had finally left her and she was left as another victim of the Devil Gene and Mishima bloodline curse. She had never been one to believe in prophecy, but this Zafina woman had successfully converted her. The world may be safe from a supernatural threat, but her own world has come tumbling down around her. She would have no choice but to go home and mourn the loss of her husband and be faced with the task of raising Toshiro, the young boy with Mishima blood flowing through his veins. It was at this point that she vowed to protect him, even if it cost her own life, from the awful effects of the Mishima bloodline curse; this despicable bloodline will end here with Jin, just like he always wanted./p  
p style="text-align: left;"As Lei-Fang trudged away, Lars set his sights on Alisa, approaching the fallen android girl purposefully. /p  
p style="text-align: left;""Alisa?" he called out to her, hoping for some type of response although he knew deep down that there wouldn't be one./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Some may question as to why Lars felt so strongly for a mere robot, but overtime she became so much more than just scraps of metal bolted together with an advanced AI system installed. Oddly enough, with each passing day, as Alisa recorded more and more data, she seemingly became more human. She became a friend and a very useful ally throughout this journey. He could never fault her for her betrayal since she was superseded by Jin's orders. The least he could do for her now is take her to see Lee Chaolan, an expert in robotics that he met during his campaign to stop Jin. Hopefully he could fully restore Alisa to working condition again. With that thought in mind, Lars scooped Alisa into his arms and walked off leaving this temple behind for good. /p  
p style="text-align: center;" /p 


	7. Epilogue

*Devil Released*

AN: And here we are! Huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read my story. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a review. The next story in this series is called Devil Revealed and will chronicle the events of Tekken 7 with my own twists, of course. It hasn't been started yet, but ideas for it are swirling in my mind. Feel free to drop me some ideas as well. It's been a pleasure being on this journey with you all. Until my next story, take care, everyone! -LKG

Several months after the incident at the temple, which also incidentally marked the end of the sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament, Lei-Fang found herself in quite the predicament. Not only was she back home raising Toshiro, but she was also pregnant.

That day she found out, Lei-Fang was sitting in her bathroom, holding the positive pregnancy test in her hand, bursting out with an awkward mix of laughing and crying. The irony of the whole situation had struck her so badly that she had no clue how she should react.

"If only Jin could see me now!" she had thought with a tearful chuckle.

For someone who so desperately wanted to put an end to the Mishima clan, he sure had such terrible luck: not only were they expecting their second child, Jin had survived his final assault against Azazel.

As soon as Lei-Fang reached home, there was a note waiting for her from a person who called themselves "the messenger." The note simply read, "Jin is alive." There was no way of reaching the mysterious person so she was forced to accept this truth without question. Now the mother of two, Lei-Fang concluded that it would be in hers and her family's best interest to not pursue this fact any further. Just knowing that he's alive provided her with the hope that their family can be reunited and without the troubles from the past. She simply hoped that he was safe and happy wherever he was and that one day, he could return home without the Devil Gene.

News reports quickly floated in, proclaiming Jin Kazama to be dead, though there was little to no details of how he died. Regardless, the general public celebrated the news as another dictator had been taken down and the world would once again know peace. The Mishima Zaibatsu conglomerate, which was now open for the taking, would quickly become a battle ground for Kazuya and Heihachi, both of which wanted the company for themselves. Knowing that Jin was no longer in the fray, Lei-Fang tuned the news out to focus on her own life.

Lars would frequently check in on her when he had some down time between rebuilding the areas most affected by Jin's military raids and reforming his army. He felt somewhat responsible for the woman, not only because she is part of his family, but also because he felt sorry for her. When she told him about her pregnancy, he, admittedly, was disgusted with her, but was able to put his personal feelings aside to assist her. It was the least he could do to honor Jin's intentions of having a safe and happy family.

In fact, Lei-Fang received criticism all across the board for her pregnancy from close relatives and friends. The only person who received her with open arms was Xiaoyu and that's only because she understood Jin's inner struggle and knew that he was a multifaceted individual; he cannot be taken at face value.

It was during this time period where she felt most alone that Lei-Fang often reflected on the relationship between Jun Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. While Jin and Lei-Fang had love on their side, Kazuya and Jun were only drawn together for a single moment in time which ended up impacting them for the rest of their lives. While Toshiro had been a welcome surprise, this second child was not. The circumstances surrounding the baby's conception mirrored that of Jin's creation, thereby allowing the cycle to continue. Whereas Jun had desperately tried to shield Jin from the Mishima's influence and had ultimately failed, Lei-Fang would fight tooth and nail to protect her two children from Heihachi, Kazuya, and the Devil Gene, even if it cost her own life.


End file.
